


How Kitty Pryde Saved Illyana Rasputin's Soul (or Was It the Other Way Around?)

by kurrent



Category: Power Pack, Runaways (Comics), X-Men (Comicverse), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Feels, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Marriage, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-11-19 04:14:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 45,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11305467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kurrent/pseuds/kurrent
Summary: Short three-shot looking at the relationship between Kitty Pryde and Illyana Rasputin, and how life has a way of putting things into perspective for you when you least expect it.  Some harsh language, mild violence.





	1. What Is Love?

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to dedicate this little story to the writing talents of Magik3, AllNewKatyana, KittyViolet and all the other Kitty/Illyana writers out there on AO3 and FFNet. There are some fantastic works out there dedicated to those two and their love, but we need more tales of these two amazing women, so here's my contribution to the Katyana world. 
> 
> Much of this chapter is written from Kitty's perspective; I plan on the second chapter being more from Illyana's perspective, but we'll see. The story dictates how things flow, and that's always subject to change like the tides. Please note that I'm not trying to be down on Kitty, because she's plenty hard enough on herself. Sometimes she just needs to stop overthinking details and step back and look at the big picture.
> 
> I do not own the X-Men comics/movies and I make no claims upon it or its characters. All these characters are used under the concept of Fair Use, and I make no profit or income from using any of them.

_You built up a world of magic_

_'Cause your real life was tragic_

_You built up a world of magic_

_If it's not real you can't hold it in your hand_

_You can't feel it in your heart_

_And I won't believe it_

_But if it's true you can see it with your eyes_

_Oh, even in the dark_

_And that's where I want to be_

 

\--Paramore, “Brick by Boring Brick”

 

—O—

It was only three o'clock in the afternoon, and Kitty Pryde, X-Man, Guardian of the Galaxy and now Headmaster of the Xavier School, could feel the beginnings of a headache throb at the base of her skull.

Meetings with the Environmental Protection Agency to discuss the sewage and waste disposal system of the school complex (a one-way conduit to Limbo, where human waste is... utilized). Forms filled out attesting to the one-way nature of said portal (why does any government have a Permanent or Semi-Permanent Passageway to Dimension of Infernal or Otherwise Dangerous Nature form anyway?), security and safety measures in place regarding said portal and the proper placement of fire extinguishers, alarm sirens and flashing security lights in all nearby areas. Curriculum review for a half-dozen proposed new classes. Shortages of skim milk, fresh strawberries and O-positive blood for the cafeteria. Resumes for applicants for teaching positions. Applications and writing samples from prospective students. A handful of Sex Education essays that Paige Guthrie, the class's teacher, felt were concerning enough that they deserved review by the Headmaster herself. The repair bill for the Chemistry classroom (again). The repair bill for the Art classroom (really?). An upcoming accreditation visit from the New York State Department of Education.

Kitty sighed and leaned back in her chair. She swiveled in a clockwise position, spinning slowly until her head was positioned to where she could look out over the front lawn of the school. The view of Central Park was spectacular, but it was the sight of the children and teenagers playing and lounging on the lawn that made her smile.

_This_ was why she put up with the headaches and the paperwork. This was why all of the school's diverse faculty were here. To teach these children and teenagers, to nurture them, both in the use of their powers and through the confusion of life as a mutant. It was worth the sacrifice all of the school's faculty were making.

So why did it feel like something important was missing?

Kitty chewed on the end of her pen for a minute longer before a flash of blue-white light on the lawn got her attention. She looked back out the window to see her best friend, Illyana Rasputin, appearing on the front lawn. She was holding something mauve in her hand, something that was wriggling, holding it up in front of a small gathering of older children.

The sight made Kitty smile despite the pounding at the back of her head. Watching Illyana interact with children, _teaching_ children, did something that made Kitty's heart turn flops inside her chest.

It had been far too long since the two of them had gone out for shopping, or dinner, or...

Well, for _anything_ , really. It had been _weeks_. Or maybe even months?

Kitty sighed, tossing her red pen down onto her desktop. She stood from her chair, phasing through the wall of her office and airwalking down to the ground. She left her heels back in her office, and when her bare feet turned solid, the soft feel of the grass between her toes made her smile.

“Hi, Miss Pryde!”

“Hello, Miss Pryde!”

“Hey, Miss Pryde!”

The happy greetings of the students as she walked by them eased the aching in her head as she made her way toward Illyana and her class, and she politely nodded, waved and spoke to each group as she met them. She kept walking until she neared the half-dozen students seated in front of Illyana, each of them on the precipice marking the transition from childhood to adolescence. There she quietly stopped, far enough behind them to not draw any attention away from her friend while she was talking.

“...And minor demons like this, while not _always_ dangerous on their own, still need to be contained until they can be returned to their place of origin. So what do we do with entities like these?” the beautiful Russian spoke, her long, straight blonde hair shining in the sun, just a hint of an accent in her speech now.

The students answered as one, voices quickly matching in tone and speed as they recited, “ _Call_ a teacher, _keep_ others safe, _contain_ if possible.”

The blonde smiled, a thin-lipped smile that Kitty knew indicated slight amusement. “Without...”

There was a brief sigh because the group recited, “ _Without_ risk to ourselves or others.”

Now Illyana smiled more. “Very good.” A smaller blue-white circle appeared beneath the small purple demon, rising up around it until both the demon and circle vanished. “Class dismissed for today.”

As the children happily sprang to their feet and ran back toward the main school building, Kitty picked her way through the small wave of running bodies until she was standing next to her friend. “Adding some practical demonstrations to Parazoology?” she asked the blonde.

“Children learn better with practical demonstration and hands-on learning than with pure lectures,” Illyana replied, the thin smile crossing her lips again. “Or at least I did, anyway.”

“Didn't see much hands-on there, though.”

“I wanted my students to keep all their fingers,” replied the Russian. “That particular type of imp has rather sharp teeth.”

“I appreciate your concern for your students' well-being, Professor Rasputin,” Kitty said, teasingly.

“Of course, Headmaster,” Illyana replied; however, though the tone of her voice and expression on her face indicated she was playing along, there was something in her blue eyes that didn't seem to match the spirit of her words.

“What are you doing tonight?” Kitty asked.

Illyana looked surprised for just a moment, before the smooth (and slightly unnatural) composure returned to her face. “I... have no plans,” she replied.

“It's been too long since we had some time together, don't you think?” asked Kitty, smiling. “For best friends, life has had a tendency to keep us apart too much.”

There was a flicker of emotion across the blonde's face, something that registered in the back of Kitty's mind but wasn't entirely familiar at this point. Then Illyana nodded, followed by her smiling slightly. “I would like that, Kitty,” she said. “What time would you like to leave?”

Kitty checked her slim watch. “How about... maybe seven?”

Illyana gently, almost hesitantly, reached up and lightly grasped Kitty's left shoulder. “I'll pick you up at seven, then.”

“Okay,” Kitty replied. “Maybe dinner and a movie? And maybe some ice cream?”

Illyana's smile broadened slightly. “I.. would like that very much,” she said softly, before she lowered her arm and walked past Kitty.

Kitty stood where she was, staring at the trees across the large lawn. While Illyana was still friendly with her, there was something that had felt stilted in their conversation. Something that just didn't mesh properly, not with her memories of the two of them together.

_When did you stop calling me Katya?_ Kitty thought, and without warning she felt her eyes sting with threatened tears.

—O—

Night had fallen as the two of them walked through the High Line park, a grassy space built over unused sections of an old elevated railway line. They watched the bay stretch out to their left as they walked slowly, each of them finishing a simple vanilla ice cream cone.

The soft crunching of cones being devoured was the only noise they made, until Kitty, her right hand newly empty, took Illyana's left hand, grasping it tenderly as they continued to stroll down the path. The slightest breath of air escaped from Illyana's mouth, a reflexive gasp that she hoped was too quiet for Kitty to hear amidst the noise of the bay and the city. She held onto her friend's hand, threading her fingers through Kitty's and holding firmly. A long-subdued spark buried deep in the Russian girl's heart began to pulse, a sensation she had been without for so long that it surprised her to feel it again.

“I've had a really good time, Yana,” Kitty said, smiling at her friend.

Illyana looked back, admiring the beauty of the brunette she had been in love with for as long as she could remember. The lights of the park reflected off Kitty's mahogany hair, burnishing it in gold and silver, and the happy smile on Kitty's face nearly made Illyana forget how dirty and dark she herself truly was inside. Kitty's brown eyes were rich and endlessly deep, and once again Illyana wished that things had been different, that they could have been together, that they could have had the chance to make each other happy.

But that would never be. Not more than this here, this friendship that meant the entire world to Illyana just by itself, a connection so precious that it could never be risked, could never be tested. Nothing, not even the dim hopes that Illyana had relinquished years ago, was worth risking her friendship with Ka—with Kitty.

“I've had a really good time, too,” Illyana said, smiling widely and openly for the first time in years, and she meant every word of it.

—O—

Later that night, as Kitty brushed her hair and finished getting ready for bed, she replayed the events of her evening with her friend.

Somewhere between dinner and the movie, it had felt like Yana— _her_ Yana—was with her again. Gone was the mask of sharp focus, the look between confidence and disdain that shielded Illyana's emotions from the world, replaced by the eager, attentive face of the young girl and later young woman that had held a special place in Kitty's heart since they were thirteen. The smiles were no longer forced or polite but honest and genuine, the laughs not simple but spontaneous and full.

It was the first time Kitty had seen Illyana smile, _truly_ smile, in years.

What kind of best friend did that make Kitty?

Wiping off her eyeshadow helped Kitty pretend that she wasn't crying.

—O—

The next day, when Kitty stopped by Illyana's class on Basic Sorcery, the mask was firmly in place once more.

Kitty waited while Illyana walked through the class, inspecting each student's protective circle. The variety of designs scattered across the floor amazed Kitty, ranging from simple pentacles, the most common design, to a lotus design to runes that looked Nordic. There was even a Star of David (although in the back of her head she could hear Illyana telling her it was properly called a Seal of Solomon) glowing beneath one boy.

Kitty was familiar with Illyana's own pentacle of silvery flame. _Intimate_ with it, in fact, in both senses of the word, going back to the time when she and Illyana were both thirteen and had willingly crossed the line between friendship and something altogether more.

She was glad her first kiss, her first _real_ kiss, had been with Illyana. They had been each other's first in other ways as well, including the most important and most intimate, and those memories remained some of the sweetest in Kitty's mind. Piotr had been a schoolgirl crush, and their kisses were awkward, rushed pecks or chaste presses of the lips that always felt like she was trying too hard and he was too afraid. But those moments with Illyana, the closeness and kisses and touches and embraces, those had always felt _exactly_ right.

Neither of them had known what they were doing when they started, but that ultimately made their hard-earned knowledge of each other, both physically and emotionally, so much more wonderful.

“ _What... what is it, Katya?” Illyana asked._

_Her best friend had been staring at her face for nearly a minute. They were both sitting on Illyana's bed in the room they shared, the thirteen-year-old Russian with her legs crossed lotus-style in front of Kitty, two months away from fourteen, with her legs straight and hanging partly off the side of the bed._

“ _Yana...” Kitty finally said, her voice a mere whisper._

“ _Yes?” Illyana replied, remembering to use the English this time instead of the Russian that still came unbidden to her lips when she was nervous or excited (like now). She leaned in closer to her best friend._

“ _C-can I...” Kitty asked, her eyes wet with unshed tears. “Can I... kiss you?”_

_Illyana blinked. “D-da,” she replied, quickly adding, “I m-mean, yes, you can.”_

_So she did._

_And Illyana kissed back._

The sound of nine and ten-year-olds gathering their backpacks brought Kitty out of her reverie. As the kids filed out of the windowless classroom (to minimize distractions), she looked at her friend, who was demonstrating the proper positioning of fingers for a protective incantation to a young girl with strawberry-blonde hair.

Kitty watched contently as Illyana spent several minutes with the girl, patiently correcting the girl's finger positions until a bright green glow came from the girl's hands.

The girl grinned as Illyana smiled; another honest smile, wide and unafraid. She patted the girl on the shoulder and spoke to her; the green glow faded as the girl's hands returned to her sides. She bent and picked up her backpack, a simple but well-kept black leather bag, and ran out of the room, smile firmly affixed to her young face.

“You're so good with them at this age,” Kitty said honestly.

Illyana's smile was gone when Kitty's eyes returned to her friend, the friendly expression replaced by her mask of neutrality. Illyana nodded. “I try to give them extra time... at this age,” she said, words thickening at the end, and the lack of further comment hit Kitty harder than most anything the Russian woman could have said.

“God, Yana,” Kitty said, hurrying across the room, heels clicking before she threw her arms around Illyana. The blonde stood there stoically, not returning the hug but not trying to pull away either. “I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking giving you this age group for some of your classes.”

“You were thinking that I would be a good teacher for them,” Illyana replied. “And you were right, as you frequently are.” But there was none of the warmth in her words, in her body language, that was present last night. She remained stiff in Kitty's embrace until Kitty awkwardly stepped back.

It hurt to feel awkward around Illyana. Around _Yana_ , when the two of them had been so close, had shared so much.

Kitty sighed. She was getting tired of feeling like she was about to cry.

“What happened to us, Yana?” she asked, eager and afraid of the answer at the same time.

Illyana looked at her. Her light blue eyes danced jitteringly as they focused and defocused. “You died, I went crazy. I died, you left.” Her voice was flat as she spoke, void of emotion, but as she paused Kitty caught the slight swallow, the briefest hesitation before she spoke again, the waver in her voice when she did. “Then you died again. And I—”

She stopped abruptly. “I have to go,” she said quickly, and before Kitty could blink, the blue-white glow of a teleportation disc had swallowed Illyana up, leaving Kitty alone in the empty classroom.

—O—

Illyana didn't return to the Xavier School the rest of the day. A note had been placed on the door of her only remaining class of the day, Russian Literature, politely informing students that today's class had been postponed and assigning another reading to be discussed at the next class.

Kitty stared at the note for several minutes before something odd about the paper caught her eye. She carefully pulled the white Post-it note off the door's window, then lifted it up to her eyes to examine it more closely.

A tiny spot of irregularity marring the otherwise smooth paper. It wasn't affecting the neat script that Kitty still recognized, from countless notes both mundane and romantic. After they had become intimate with each other, a feeling so new and delicate that neither girl had had the courage to put a name to it, Yana had loved to write love poems to Kitty in Russian, requiring the brunette to read them back to her in the privacy of their shared room before she would translate them. This usually occurred while they were in bed, with Illyana's arms around Kitty as they nestled together, looking over Kitty's shoulder and head as her best friend (and so much more) stutteringly read the note in the warmth and comfort of Illyana's embrace, the strength in those limbs hidden beneath the soft skin but readily palpable to Kitty.

This close, Kitty could see the roughly oval crinkle in the paper, just at the edge of the note. Slight puckering around the spot gave it away.

A tear had fallen here.

Kitty put the note back before any more tears could join that one.

—O—

Standing in the hallway of the modest apartment building in Brooklyn, Kitty nervously shifted her weight back and forth, from foot to foot, after knocking at the plain door.

She had politely sent a text to the apartment's lessee earlier, waiting for acknowledgment and invitation before she had taken the subway from Manhattan.

( _Really, so many misunderstandings could be prevented with better communication_ , she thought, and the irony of her thought when applied to her current situation with Illyana made her chest tighten and her throat ache.)

The clicking of locks being turned went on for a few seconds, followed by the door opening to reveal a face somewhat unfamiliar.

“Can I help you?” asked the young woman, who appeared to be at least half-Japanese, maybe full, to Kitty's experienced eye. Long, straight dark hair had been partially piled atop her head and pinned into place with black lacquered chopsticks, while the rest of her hair trailed down her back. Multiple silver necklaces fell over her chest, topped by a studded black leather choker around her neck. Ankh earrings hung from each ear, and dark purple lipstick completed the woman's gothic look.

“I'm, um, Kitty. Laura... said I could come over?”

“Hi Kitty, I'm Nico, Laura's girlfriend,” said the young woman, who looked like she was just out of her teen years, as she wiped her hands on a yellow dishtowel. “Come on in. Dinner's almost ready.”

As the girl turned, revealing the back of a short black jacket, a striped shirt poking out beneath and a long, frilled black skirt, Kitty placed the face and the name: Nico Minoru, one of the Runaways. A sorceress with parents who practiced very black magic indeed, now both deceased at the hands of their daughter and her friends.

“Gabby's finishing her homework,” Nico called over her shoulder. “So— NO, Johnathon!” Nico shouted, running toward the small kitchen to shoo the shaggy wolverine off the counter next to the stove. “You've already gotten your treats, so you can wait with the rest of us!”

Kitty watched as the rather large wolverine shambled away from Nico, burbling and huffing as it crossed the apartment. “Can you... talk to him?” Kitty asked, genuinely unsure of the answer.

Nico turned to look at her, bright teeth shining through the near-ebony outline of her lips. “Can I talk to him? Sure! Does he listen? Hell no.”

“Language!” came a young voice from the next room. “I'm trying to finish my math.”

Kitty stepped farther into the apartment, until she could see the dark-haired girl seated on the floor, paper and a textbook on the low table in front of her. “Hey Gabby!” Kitty said, pleased when the girl's eyes got big and she scrambled to her feet fast enough to send her paper sailing through the air behind her.

“Aunt Kitty!” Gabby shouted, not stopping until she had slammed herself into Kitty's body, nearly knocking the petite brunette over.

“Easy there, squirt,” Kitty said, bending over to hug Gabby. “You're almost as big as me!”

Laughing, Gabby said, “That's because you're a little shit!”

Kitty's eyes got big, then she sputtered, futilely trying to cover her mouth as she started laughing.

“What?!” Gabby asked. “That's what Laura calls you all the time!”

“I do not!” came a shout from the other end of the apartment, following by the slapping of bare feet on hardwood. Laura Kinney came to a stop inside the living room, and by the look on her face, she was having a hard time deciding whether to be irritated or amused.

“To be fair,” Nico said as she set a wooden spoon down and walked over to Laura, putting her arms around the other brunette's shoulders, “that phrase _might_ have slipped across your lips a time or two.” She punctuated her admission by kissing Laura softly on those very same lips.

The display of affection sent a pang through Kitty's heart, while at the same time comforting her. After the way she had been raised, Laura deserved the happiness of love, affection and a home more than anyone Kitty knew.

Except one.

—O—

Dinner was fabulous. Simple but sumptuous, with fluffy rice omelets, a vast choice of sauces for dipping and _karaage_ , a fried chicken that had a savory, delicate spice to it.

Kitty folded and placed her napkin on the table in front her, sighing as she leaned back in her chair. “If Nico is this good a cook, Laura, I hope you're proposing soon.”

Nico smiled, practically preening as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. “Traded my recipes for _miso_ and _onigiri_ to Doctor Doom for lessons on time magic,” she said confidently.

Kitty's mouth opened involuntarily. “Seriously?”

Nico nodded. “Yeah, cooked him dinner too. He's really nice if you're polite to him.”

“We're still making the long-distance thing work,” Laura said, taking Nico's left hand and bringing it to her lips, where she kissed the knuckles gently.

“I still live in L.A.,” Nico said. “I'm trying to get Sexy and Gabby to move out there.”

“And we're trying to get her to move here,” Laura replied. “But we'll work it out eventually.”

Seeing the question forming on Kitty's face, Nico said, “Teleportation spell. Dr. Strange and Illyana have been teaching me sorcery, so I don't have to rely on the Staff of One all the time. Seriously cuts down on commuting.”

“I bet,” Kitty said, thoughts drifting back to the blonde that always seemed to be on her mind lately.

—O—

“So what's going on, Kitty?” Laura asked, bringing a cup of hot chocolate to the lounge chairs set up on the roof of the apartment building. Night had fallen across the borough, bringing with it a faint chill in the air.

Kitty carefully took the mug from her friend, quietly saying, “Thanks,” as Laura settled in next to her.

“Nico'll be up in a bit once she gets Gabby to sleep. Gab likes her stories better than mine, because she can actually provide visual and sound effects with a little spell or two.”

Kitty looked at Laura, taking in the unusual look of ease on the face of the wiry dark-haired girl. “You look...” Kitty offered, trailing off as she tried to find what the perfect descriptor would be.

“Tired?” Laura suggested with a smirk.

“No,” Kitty said, grimacing playfully.

“Lazy? Ugly?”

Kitty sighed. “No.”

“Then how do I look?”

After a few more seconds on consideration, Kitty finally said, “Happy.” The word surprised her as much as it did Laura. “You look happy.”

Laura smiled. She placed her cup of hot tea down beside her. “That's because I am,” she said quietly.

“Having a family...” Laura began, her voice tapering off. “It wasn't something I would ever be able to do. Not safely. Not with the metaphorical sword of that fucking trigger scent hanging over my head the rest of my life.”

Kitty nodded. She had heard about the eradication of the remaining trigger scent and the formula to make it, along with the death of the last person who knew how to synthesize it. “I can't imagine how big a weight that is off your shoulders,” she said softly.

Laura nodded. “It's enormous. And now, it's gone.” She picked her cup back up and took a sip of the tea, with lemon and a spoonful of honey. “I can actually be around people I care about without always listening, always watching, for something to turn me into a mindless killing machine.”

“You can be a big sister to Gabby.”

“Absolutely,” Laura replied. “Kid deserves the world, after what she went through. Something I understand too well.”

Kitty took a sip of her own drink before licking her lips and speaking again. “Nico seems to be good with her.”

“God, she is,” Laura said. “She was terrified of Gabby to start with, although she'll probably lie if you ask her. But she knows what it's like to deal with kids, with teenagers, thanks to Molly.”

Kitty nodded. She knew very well who Molly Hayes was, and what she could do.

“She knows how to talk to them, how to deal with them without coming across as condescending or tyrannical.”

“Yeah, I bet,” Kitty said, her voice trailing off as her thoughts revved up. Thinking about Nico and the rest of the Runaways raising themselves and each other after the deaths of their parents, she realized how much their situation was like the New Mutants, back when the Professor was so hands-off. Young, desperately in need of guidance and advice but bitterly opposed to receiving either of them.

They drank more of their drinks in silence, surrounded by the quiet urban noises drifting up from the streets and buildings below.

“Gabby's probably asleep by now, if you're worried about her hearing whatever it is you came here to talk about.”

“What?” Kitty said, jerking her head around quickly. “Oh, no, it's nothing that I wouldn't want her hearing. Not really.”

Laura placed her cup down again, then she turned so that she was only partially sitting in the chair, her knees now pointing toward Kitty. “Then what is it, Kitty? Your face and your scent have been all over the place tonight.”

Kitty sighed. She put down her mug of hot chocolate as well. “I think I made a terrible mistake,” she finally said, nervously wringing her hands. “Years ago. And I don't know if it can be fixed now.”

Laura smiled. “Does it involve someone who's dead?”

Kitty laughed. “Not currently.”

Laura grinned. “Then it can be fixed.”

“I...” _I hope. I pray._ “I don't know, Laura.”

Laura closed her eyes. Her nose analyzed the pheromones and smells coming from her friend, catching hints of sorrow, of love, of fear, of anxiety and stress. And there was another scent, more subtle and harder to place due to time elapsed since Kitty had been exposed to it, but the exposure had been strong enough to leave traces still detectable on Kitty's hair and skin. She nodded. “Illyana?” she asked softly.

Now it was Kitty's turn to clench her eyes tightly shut. She nodded, more forcefully than she had intended.

“She still loves you,” spoke a soft voice from the direction of the stairwell door. Laura didn't have to turn; she had already smelled Nico's personal scent, like jasmine and dried ink and determination all mixed together in a combination that had become her favorite of all.

Nico's boots clomped softly across the rough surface of the roof as she approached her girlfriend and Kitty. “She's never stopped loving you, Kitty,” Nico said, sadness in her voice as she came to a stop beside Laura's chair. “And she never will. She'll never tell you, though. Whether it's pride or fear or something else, she'll never put you in that position. She loves you too much, ironically, to do that to you.”

Kitty turned to look at the raven-haired woman, who was currently staring up at the few stars bright enough to be visible through the haze and light bleeding upward into the heavens. “How...” she croaked out, her voice breaking in a way that took her all the way back to puberty again. “How do you know?”

Nico turned to look at Kitty, a gleam in her dark eyes as she sat down beside Laura. Laura moved her lover's hair to the side, exposing a strip of her pale neck beneath the black choker so she could softly place kisses on it. “You mean you don't know that we semi-dark sorceresses have regular meetings?”

The look on Kitty's face, a mixture of disbelief, frustration and heartbreak, would have been funny, had the situation not been so serious.

“Would you believe a book club?”

“Nico,” Laura said gently. “This is serious.”

“No shit,” Nico replied, turning to look into Laura's green eyes.

A muffled sob broke the playful staring contest between girlfriends. They turned to see Kitty trying to keep herself together (possibly literally, given her powers). “If...” she said, sniffling, “If she l-loved me that much, why didn't she rescue me from that... that _fucking deathtrap_ , that... space slug I was trapped in, flying through the galaxy for... _God knows_ how long?”

Nico's face immediately went from jovial to stunned. “She didn't tell you?!” the Japanese woman said, her voice slightly higher in pitch than usual. “No, of course she didn't,” she muttered, more to herself than to Kitty.

“Tell me what?” Kitty asked. When there was no answer, she practically shouted, “Tell me _WHAT?!”_

Nico's dark eyes were full of sadness as she looked squarely at Kitty. “She did try, Kitty. She tried and tried and kept trying until it nearly killed her, and she kept trying after that.”

Nico sighed, knowing the talking wasn't over yet. “Whatever it was about that thing that kept you from phasing through it, it kept her from teleporting into it, or even teleporting it at all. She tried that too. She used her stepping discs, she used her sorcery, she used them both together. Nothing worked. She called me, desperate and terrified. She had tried to contact Dr. Strange, but he was tied up doing something and couldn't help.

“Kitty, I had never seen her so frantic in my life. Remember, I'm a dark sorceress. A blood witch. And some of the shit she tried, some of things she became, they scared ME.” Nico took in a deep breath. “I tried to use the Staff of One to breach that thing you were trapped in too, but it was obviously warded against magic like it was mutant powers. I burned I don't know how many unique incantations trying to break through it, then trying to boost Illyana's power to where she could either get inside it or get you out. It was like it just... wasn't there, when we tried to affect it.” Nico sighed, then looked down at the silver buckles on her black leather boots.

“Then when I thought Illyana had finally given up, she... started a ritual to consume Limbo.”

“What?” asked Kitty.

“ _What?!”_ echoed Laura. This was the first she had of this part.

Nico nodded. “I wasn't planning on ever telling anyone this, and she'll probably be pissed at me for mentioning it now, but Illyana was starting to use the Fiery Pyre of Phlegethon, a super-dark sacrificial ritual designed to boost magical power, using all of Limbo—and everything in it—to make one last-ditch attempt to save you.”

Kitty sat there, stunned.

“It would've cost what was left of her soul, if there was anything left—shit, sorry, didn't mean that personally—but she was doing it, no hesitation.”

“I wouldn't have wanted her to do it,” Kitty said, her voice a hoarse whisper. “Not at that cost.”

“Well, she wasn't asking permission,” Nico said. “She had just about reached the point of no return when something went wrong, because she was exhausted, not thinking straight and getting too sloppy with her somatic gestures. The magical backlash was nasty, but we contained it. Barely. She had this look of total, complete defeat on her face, and then she teleported. Shocked me, because I didn't think she had enough left to even get to her feet, but there was that flash of light and she was gone.

“Luckily, I had put a tracking spell on her a few minutes earlier, when I wasn't sure what she was going to do. I was worried about her blacking out in space because she was so exhausted that she forgot to use an oxygenation spell or something, you know?” She paused and swallowed. “Good thing I had. Because she had teleported to the surface of that big bullet thing you were trapped in. No oxygen spell. No protection spell. Just a little charm to keep her there forever... so she could be with you.”

The wail that came from the back of Kitty's throat was gut-wrenching as she broke down and cried. She didn't know when Laura and Nico got up and moved to kneel beside her, putting their arms around her while she sobbed. She only vaguely registered Laura's strong arms picking her up and carrying her back downstairs to the apartment some time later. Nico cast a silence spell over Gabby's room to keep the girl from waking up, then she and Laura sat on the couch with Kitty, who had curled up into a tiny human lump next to the armrest.

It was over an hour before Kitty's sobs and gasping gave way to the quiet whimpering of restless sleep. Nico took a spare blanket from the linen closet and handed it to Laura, who gently laid it across her friend's weary body.

The two of them stood there, looking over the lost woman passed out on the worn blue couch before them, holding each other with equal amounts of love and worry.

“Do you think she'll be okay?” Nico asked, unable to take her eyes off the wet spot Kitty's tears had made on the couch cushion beneath her head.

Laura thought for several seconds before she answered. “I don't know.”

—O—

The shaking of the apartment building and rattling of the windows jarred Kitty mostly out of sleep. Gabby shaking her and yelling finished the job.

“Wha...” Kitty mumbled before Gabby shook her again.

“Kitty! KITTY! You've got to wake up!”

“Okay, okay...” Kitty said, phasing through Gabby and sitting up on the couch before she turned solid again. “What's goin—”

“All hell's breaking loose at your school,” Nico said forcefully as she stomped into the room, sliding her dark jacket over her arms. “Need you at the top of your game, Pryde.”

“Oh God, my _back_...” Kitty moaned as she stood up despite the protest of tight muscles and popping vertebrae, shifting her balance reflexively as the building shook and reverberated with another loud BOOM.

“No time for sleeping on the job,” Nico said, snapping her fingers in front of Kitty; a golden flash of light sparked from the Japanese woman's hand, and instantly the knots in Kitty's back stopped hurting. “Your girlfriend's in the middle of some serious shit in Central Park, and you need to be there, not here.”

Kitty's eyes squinted slightly. “Yana's not my—”

“Tell it to someone who believes it,” Nico snapped, leaving Kitty blinking her eyes in surprise. “I'm needed over at Times Square, where Dr. Strange is fighting some big-ass blobby... _something_ , but I've got enough time to port you over to Central Park.”

“Gabby and I will focus on crowd control,” said Laura, her Wolverine costume and mask already on. She stopped beside Kitty, Gabby directly behind her with her own mask on.

Nico stepped forward, kissing Laura on the lips passionately. “Stay alive, lover,” she said.

“Count on it,” Laura replied, smiling confidently.

Nico looked down at Gabby and ran her fingers through the girl's dark hair. She smiled at the girl she had grown to love. “Protect others, and keep yourself safe, kid, okay?”

Gabby nodded.

Nico looked at Kitty, staring at her for a few long and oddly uncomfortable seconds. “Don't fuck this up, Pryde,” she finally said.

“I—”

But Kitty's words were cut off by the blue haze of a teleportation spell.

—O—

To say Central Park, or at least the area around the Xavier School, was chaotic would have been an understatement. To say it was Pandemonium would have been close to the literal truth.

The screams, roars and explosions were audible even before they finished materializing. Immediately Laura and Gabby were gone, moving at speeds too fast for Kitty to follow. But then her attention was already focused on the hissing, crackling fountain of crimson energy spraying into the air ahead of her.

Illyana stood firm, legs spread and braced beneath her, as she poured a current of pulsing red magic against an opposing stream of sickly green energy being directed at her by a trio of figures that Kitty would have been happy to never see again: the demon N'Astirh, the half-demon sorceress Witchfire... and Belasco.

_Belasco_.

“Fuck!” Kitty swore, immediately running toward Illyana as fast as she could.

Phasing out of the way of demons swooping in after her, the occasional energy blast deflecting in her direction, falling rubble and tumbling bodies, Kitty stormed across the cracked ground toward her best friend.

“YANA!” she screamed as she ran, trying to be heard over the loud hissing and popping of clashing magic.

She watched as Illyana started to falter under the three-pronged assault. The blonde's legs began to sag as she leaned forward, eyes clenched tightly shut as she dug deep within herself for strength.

Then Kitty was there. Without hesitation Kitty ran up behind Illyana, wrapping her arms around Illyana's chest from behind and softly saying, “I'm here, Yana, I'm here. I've got you.”

Despite the ringing in her ears and pounding in her throat, Illyana heard those words, felt the small but firm arms supporting her, trying to hold her up. She swallowed the burning in her stomach that had been threatening to spew up and tightened her grip on her magic.

Kitty was here, and there was _no way_ Illyana was letting her get hurt.

Kitty felt the muscles in the blonde's chest, shoulders and neck tighten as Illyana powered her way back up to a standing position. She smiled against the black fabric of Illyana's short top as she watched the stream of crimson turn scarlet, glowing intensely before it started to push back the three streams of green trying to scour the two of them from existence.

“They're not... real...” Illyana hissed out, mouth tight with exertion. “Nightmare...”

“This is one of your nightmares?” Kitty asked, confused.

Illyana shook her head. “No,” she said before adding, “Well, yes... but...” She ignored the sweat dripping off her forehead, running cold down her back as she maintained the furious flow of power erupting from her body. “The entity... Nightmare...”

Kitty nodded against Illyana's shoulder. “Visions. Of your nightmares.”

Illyana nodded. “Strange... took him... but these...”

“I'm here, Yana,” Kitty breathed against her shoulder, the warmth of her breath, the press of her body against Illyana's feeling like the life-saving heat of a fire staving off the cold of a Siberian winter. “I'm here.”

The streams of green-yellow magic surged, as the figures of Witchfire, N'Astirh and Belasco all began to push their way forward, toward Kitty and Illyana.

“You can do this, Yana,” Kitty said. “I... I believe in you.”

Illyana tried her best to not let the joy she felt rise in her heart at those words overwhelm her. She really, really did. But she couldn't stop the tears of happiness that ran down her cheeks. She focused on the unfamiliar warmth in her heart, felt it, savored it, then pushed back _harder_ with her magic.

Kitty watched as the stream of Illyana's magic glowed so brightly that it was hurting her eyes, but still the trio of demonic figures advanced. Illyana's head was bent down with the force of her efforts, but as Kitty watched, the figures of Witchfire and N'Astirh stopped and flickered briefly. But the figure of Belasco did not. Instead it continued to inch forward, step after step, now so close that Kitty swore she could smell the sulfur and char from him.

“Yana, there's something about Belasco,” she said as he drew nearly with reach. The other two had fallen to their knees under Illyana's mystic assault, shimmering as they began to fade. “He's...”

_He's real._

Belasco suddenly stopped the mystic assault, shifting to the side of Illyana's scarlet stream of energy that had been directed toward him. His left arm swooped forward at the same time Kitty noticed the golden amulet hanging from his neck, four glowing blood-red gems filling four of the five spots on the pentacle etched on its surface.

Immediately Kitty phased her arm through Illyana, catching Belasco's arm at the wrist just inches away from Illyana's chest, using every bit of her strength and desperation to keep the demon lord's hand at bay.

Despite the flashes of magic, Illyana looked up as she felt Kitty pass through her—directly into the burning red eyes of Belasco, his too-familiar sulfurous stench gagging her. As she realized that Belasco was _real_ , that he was _right here_ nexttoher _ohgodohgod_ —

“ _YOU CAN'T HAVE HER!”_

Kitty's scream ringing in her right ear shocked Illyana back to reality, snapping the hold of Nightmare's illusion. Witchfire and N'Astirh were gone, as was the pyrotechnic clash of magical energy. But Belasco was still right in front of her, clawed fingers pointed at her chest, with only Kitty's thin arm somehow holding the muscular demon at bay.

And around his neck, the bloodstone amulet, four of its five slots filled with marble sized pieces of her soul.

“Kitty, you have to get back!” Illyana shouted. “He's already got most of my soul, you _can't win!”_

Kitty ignored Illyana's cry. She _could_ win, and she _would_ win. For her best friend.

“Listen to her, foolish girl,” rumbled the powerful demon, his fangs exposed in a snarling grin. “The Darkchylde belongs to me. She was never yours.”

_You're wrong_ , Illyana thought feebly. But her terror kept her speechless, unable to move at the moment while her best friend and her worst tormentor battled for her soul.

Illyana's body seemed to turn slightly transparent, letting Kitty see a brightly glowing red sphere in the center of Illyana's chest, a match for the four gems already attached to the amulet other than the fact that those gems were a dull crimson, while the one in Illyana's chest glowed a bright cherry-red.

As Kitty watched, the gem began to slowly drift forward, toward Belasco's grasping hand. As it did so, she felt a nauseating pull deep inside her own chest, a tug that felt like part of herself was being slowly yanked out.

“The last piece of her soul feels the pull of the others!” he boasted. “Soon she will be _mine_ , entirely!”

“NO!” Kitty screamed. She knew, in the back of her mind, that she was shouting in Illyana's ear, but right now she wasn't consciously registering anything other than terror at losing her best friend, her confidant, her...

Her best friend. Whom she had run away from. Twice. The woman who had shared her room, her secrets, her thoughts, her heart, her love, her...

Kitty gasped.

Her _soul_.

Feeling some innate connection between the soulstone in Illyana's chest and something deep within her own heart draw taut, Kitty's lips pulled away from her teeth, revealing them clenched tightly in a snarl that rivaled that of Belasco himself. “Fuck off, Belasco!” she shouted. “You can't _have_ her soul, because it doesn't belong to you! It belongs with _ME!”_

Releasing the demon's arm, Kitty jerked her arm back, closing her hand around the piece of Illyana's soul, warm and pulsing and alive in her gentle grasp, and memories flooded over all three of them, trapped in a swirl of multicolored mystic haze.

_Late one night in Westchester, as snow silently fell outside a stately mansion far away from the main road, two young girls lay sweaty in a bed that was far too small for both of them together, one with straight but disheveled blonde hair, the other's hair a wild mess of brown curls. Their chests rose and fell together, faster than they should have been had they been resting, but very natural for coming down from the ecstasy they had just shared together, as they had done many times over the last year._

_Kitty turned her head to stare into Illyana's pale blue eyes, pupils still widely dilated to the point of nearly eclipsing the rim of color around the blackness. “I love you, Yana,” she whispered, tightening her grip around the young Russian's waist and pulling her even more snugly against her. The heat from Yana's bare skin against hers from head to toe was so intense that it left Kitty doubting reality. How could anything feel this good, BE this good?_

“ _I love you too, Katya,” Illyana spoke, her accent much improved but still noticeable. It was adorable, and Kitty loved it, just as she loved all of the troubled, damaged, precious, loving young woman holding Kitty just as Kitty was holding her._

“ _Forgive me if I saw this wrong,” Illyana said softly._ “Say _this wrong,” she corrected, coaxing a giggle from Kitty, both girls still high from their lovemaking. Illyana smiled, then her face grew serious._

“ _I love you, Katherine Pryde,” the blonde spoke slowly, carefully. “I will always love you. Everything I am, I give to you. Everything I have, I give to you. My love...” Here she paused to kiss Kitty on the lips. “My life...” she said, adding another kiss. “My clothes...” getting another giggle from Kitty, which Illyana ignored to kiss her again. “My heart...” she whispered with another kiss. “And my soul...” she finished, with a kiss that she held for several seconds, relishing the taste of Kitty, the feel of Kitty, the comfort that she could only find in Kitty's arms._

“ _I give you everything, my Katya,” Illyana said, tears brimming her eyes. “For you have given me love, in ways I never could have imagined. In ways I do not deserve.”_

“ _No,” Kitty said, shaking her head as she leaned forward and kissed the tears from Illyana's fair cheeks. “You do deserve love. You_ do _, Yana, you hear me? Even after everything you've been through. You deserve to love, to be loved, and I swear that I'll love you forever. I give you my heart, my love, my soul too.”_

_Illyana shook her head, trying not to bump Kitty's face. “No, Katya, you don't know what you—”_

“ _YES,” Kitty hissed, staring into those intense blue eyes she loved. “Yes, I do. I do know what I'm saying. I'm in bed with a sorceress who's been tested by demons, tortured by demons, and she's survived all that. She's beaten all that. And you are_ still _capable of love, of compassion, because I can feel it, Yana! I can feel it every time you kiss me, every time you touch me, every time you're inside me, every time you hold me or wipe away my tears or call my name or hug me closer to you while we're in bed, because you want to protect me from everything out there in that scary world and all the worlds beyond it.”_

_She smiled at her Yana, ignoring her own tears sliding down her face and spilling themselves onto the pillow they shared. “I accept your heart and your soul, Illyana Rasputin, but you have to accept mine in return,” she said, smiling happily despite the tears wetting her cheek. Some part of her knew they were too young to be making promises, pledges like that, but Kitty didn't care. She was in love._

_Illyana smiled back. “Da,” she said softly. “I accept.”_

Belasco howled as pain lanced through his arm. He jerked it back, but not before a gleaming flash of pure white light sliced through his wrist, severing his only hand.

He shrieked as he saw the clawed hand tumble through the hazy air, weakly spinning until it struck the ground. He looked up, ignoring the green ichor oozing from the stump of his forearm.

A slim silver sword stood upright, vastly different than the broad, imposing soulsword that Illyana had wielded for the last few years. This silvery-white blade was long, narrow, elegantly lined, with a wide, straight crossguard and slightly shorter handle. That silver handle was held by two hands, Illyana's closest to the metal and Kitty's hand closed over hers. The soulsword glowed with a brilliant white that made Belasco's eyes burn and blur as he stared at it. The smoke from his eyes beginning to combust made his vision uncertain as he took in the sight of Illyana clad in her full suit of mystic armor, hooves for feet, legs twisted and bent forward, eyes glowing red, horns protruding from her face as she glared at him. But her fangs were bared in a smile, of all things, as Kitty's right arm pulled away from the soulsword and returned to grasp Illyana's chest, her arms crossing over the Russian's breasts like an entirely different type of armor as her hands held Illyana's shoulders protectively.

The last thing Belasco saw before he retreated to another dimension was the amulet floating upward, hovering between him and the two women as three of the soulstones held atop its golden surface popped like grapes, allowing the shimmering scarlet light trapped within them to streak back toward the two women, shooting through Illyana's mystic armor and burying themselves in her chest once more before the amulet and remaining stone faded away.

As the wisps of smoke lingering from Belasco's exit wafted away, Illyana's new soulsword (which looked very much like the soulsword she had manifested as a young teenager, Kitty noted) vanished in a flare of white light. Illyana turned, still in Kitty's embrace, to face her best friend.

“How can you still love me?” Illyana asked, glancing down at her body, now fully revealed as the silver armor disappeared with the magical blade. Her furred legs, bending forward like an animal, her red eyes, her demonic tail, her horns and fangs. “When I look like _this?”_

Kitty just smiled peacefully at her. “Because I love YOU. I love _all_ of you, the good, the bad and the demonic. But more importantly, how can you still love _me_ when I've acted like I have?” she asked. “When I've been a really shitty best friend for a long time, and I've had my head stuck up my ass for so long that I've forgotten what's really important to me?” She ran her fingers through Illyana's blonde bangs and gently ran her fingers across each of Illyana's horns, caressing them lovingly. “When I forgot _who's_ really important to me?”

Kitty closed her eyes and leaned her head forward, resting it on Illyana's left shoulder. “I'm sorry,” she breathed out, ignoring the burning in her eyes and the tears that she knew were soaking through Illyana's top. “ _I'm_ the one who doesn't deserve _you_.”

“No,” Illyana said. “You deserve better than to be with someone corrupt, someone tainted with evil. You deserve—”

Illyana's words were cut off by Kitty kissing her on the lips. The feel of fangs in their kiss was different, but when Illyana opened her lips to let Kitty in, Kitty carefully ran the tip of her tongue over each fang, making sure to give each one her attention before she returned to kissing Illyana.

When they pulled apart after the kiss, Kitty suddenly looked shocked. “Oh nuts, Yana, I should have asked you first, I'm so sor—”

Her protest was cut off by Illyana returning the kiss, the fangs shrinking away while they kissed as her Darkchylde form returned to her regular human appearance. When Illyana pulled away just enough that Kitty's tongue flicked out against her lips, seeking more, Illyana whispered, “You never have to ask me, Katherine Anne Pryde, because I'm already yours.”

Kitty grinned as she looked into her best friend's eyes. “And that's why I always _should_ ask, Illyana Nikolievna Rasputin,” she replied. “Because I care about you, and I respect you... and I _love_ you.”

“You have my permission to kiss me whenever you want, Katya,” Illyana said, her voice shaky. “I love you too.”

They both pulled closer, each resting her head on the other's shoulder.

Kitty whispered, “I'm sorry for forgetting what we had, and for dating—”

“No need to speak of it again,” Illyana said quickly. Maybe a bit too quickly.

Kitty laughed softly, breathing in the smell of Illyana, _her_ Yana once more. “I'm yours, and you're mine,” Kitty whispered. “If you'll have me,” she added softly.

“ _Always_ ,” Illyana whispered back in Russian, one of the words Kitty had learned many years ago. Her eyes fluttered closed briefly before opening again to look into Kitty's deep brown gaze. “Please don't die on me again,” she said softly, and the anguish in her voice went directly to Kitty's heart.

“I'll do my best not to,” Kitty replied. “I swear. But you have to do the same.”

The smile that stretched across Illyana's face was so happy that it was like all the horrors the girl had suffered had never happened at all. “I accept,” she said, somehow with the exact same reverent tone of voice she had used over a decade ago, when it was just two teenage girls lying together in the afterglow of their love.

They kissed again, ignoring the slowly approaching crowd of students and X-Men who were hesitantly moving toward them now.

As their lips parted from each other, Kitty and Illyana tipped their heads together until their foreheads were touching, staring deeply into each other's eyes as both of them smiled like fools.

“Thank you for saving my soul, Katya,” Illyana said tenderly.

A tiny smirk crossed Kitty's lips. “Funny,” she said. “Because I think it was really you who saved mine.”

—O—

**THREE WEEKS LATER**

It should have been a terrible day.

Narrowly phasing to allow what looked like a flying eyeball with tentacles to pass through her, Kitty made her way down one of the halls of the Xavier School's main building. She then had to phase again to keep from being trampled by the half-dozen teenagers frantically chasing the flying... thing.

They were going to need another building for classrooms. Which itself was not necessarily a bad thing, as this need was driven by the fact that school applications had quadrupled after the magical conflagration on the main lawn last week. Between cell phone footage, the zoom power of cameras and the bravery bordering on recklessness of news crews, enough clear footage of Illyana and Kitty fending off Nightmare's visions and Belasco's assault had made it to the news, both local and national.

But perhaps more importantly, footage of the Xavier School's teachers efficiently and effectively protecting all the students was even more wide-spread. The sight of mutants protecting their own students as well as human by-standers drew near-universal acclaim from those reporting and commenting on the scene. There were always some eager to cast blame at the nearest mutant, but the surprising groundswell of support had taken Kitty and the rest of the school's faculty by surprise.

The inspector from the Environmental Protection Agency had arrived a day early, blaming the mix-up on a mistake on her secretary's part, but Kitty had gamely filled in as staff liaison. She knew more about Illyana's portals and sorcery than anyone else on campus, so in fairness she really was the person best suited to discuss the sewage and waste disposal system, particularly the portals and the back-up anchored enchantments involved. The inspector had been pleased to hear that the system added no new burden to the city's already prodigious waste disposal and water treatment systems and was not just carbon-neutral, but carbon-negative. Her request to examine the on-site processing of waste would have to wait until tomorrow when Illyana was present, but she had bravely agreed to return the next day.

Kitty grinned. The inspector _had_ been nice. It'd probably be a good gesture to accompany her and Illyana, in case the woman passed out. No need for Kitty's girlfriend to have to carry the woman out of Limbo by herself.

The sound of running footsteps on hardwood made Kitty's eyebrows go up again. A student who looked like he was maybe eleven or twelve was running toward her, not paying attention to what was in front of him as he struggled with a backpack that didn't want to go onto his shoulders properly. What got Kitty's attention, however, was the large knife that he was carrying unsheathed in his right hand, the silver metal of the blade reflecting the lights in the hallway.

Kitty smoothly scooped him up, lifting him by his backpack straps with her right arm and grabbing his right wrist with her left hand to immobilize the knife.

“Hey, lemme go!” he shouted, kicking his legs ineffectively. “I sai—Miss Pryde!”

Kitty smiled at him, injecting just enough menace into the expression to make his face pale slightly. “We have a rule about running in the halls with sharp objects, venomous creatures or magical artifacts,” she said calmly. “What does that rule say, Nicholas?”

The boy swallowed once. “D-D-Don't do it?” he stammered.

Kitty softened her smile a bit. “That's correct. And were you following that rule?”

A chastised look bloomed across his face. “No, ma'am, I wasn't.”

“No, you weren't,” she repeated calmly. “That's a danger not only to other students but also to yourself. Do you know how many times I've seen people being treated because they cut or stabbed themselves while they were running?”

“Probably a lot,” the boy said quietly.

Kitty lowered the boy to the floor and knelt down in front of him. “Your parents are trusting us not just with your education but with your safety, too. But I need you to help with that, by using your head for something more than just hanging a cap on it, okay?” She tugged on his Rangers cap; the boy's mutation had caused him to lose all his body hair, something he was very self-conscious about, so Kitty had relaxed the rule about no hats or caps worn inside the school for him.

The boy nodded, still a bit sheepish about his behavior.

“Nice job on the Basic Russian test, by the way,” Kitty said. “Ninety-two's a pretty good score for a hard language.”

The boy's eyes widened as he looked at his headmaster. “You know my _grade?”_

Kitty nodded. “Yup,” she said pleasantly.

The boy glanced around; his body language indicated he was nervous about something, so Kitty had a pretty good idea about what his next question was going to be. “Is... Is Professor Rasputin really your girlfriend?” he asked hesitantly.

Kitty smiled even more broadly. “Yes, she is,” she answered proudly. “Isn't she smart?”

The boy nodded and smiled. “Yeah,” he said, a bit dreamily. “How do her shorts pass dress code?.

Kitty smirked. “They don't. I let her get by with it.”

The boy nodded thoughtfully. “No complaints from any of us,” he remarked quietly.

“Or from me,” Kitty said. “Don't let me catch you running with a knife out again, or it'll be a week of detention for you _and_ I'll tell Professor Rasputin that you like her shorts. Understand?”

Nicholas swallowed and nodded quickly. “Yes, Miss Pryde.” He put his knife back in the sheath he had stuffed in his back pocket, then he put them both in his backpack.

“Good. Now scoot.”

As she watched the boy run down the hall and turn toward the main doors, she resumed her daily walk through the school, taking the stairs up (as she usually did) toward the living quarters in the main building.

She was going to have to reschedule the faculty meeting next week—again—due to a meeting with the city's attorney regarding fire protection. She appreciated the fire department being willing to help in the event of an emergency, but the truth of the matter was, by the time a fire engine could make its way through the park to the school, over a dozen of her faculty and students could have even a large fire extinguished. But she had to convince the fire department of that politely, because it _was_ their city and it _was_ their livelihood.

Well, she'd stop by and talk to them after the meeting next week. Now it was time to check on Fatima, a fifteen-year-old mutant with the powers of locating and controlling water. Her powers were currently extremely weak, but should her powers increase, her potential—both for good and for evil—was enormous. The girl's family was from Egypt; they moved to Boston ten years ago, and Fatima had been one of Kitty's first students to enroll in the Xavier School.

When the teenager had started seeing one of the school counselors for issues relating to her religion (Islam, which she was questioning) and her sexuality (which she was questioning even more), Kitty made a point to get to know Fatima a bit better. She found a sweet, kind, thoughtful girl who was full of questions and desperately seeking answers, even when there were none to be found.

Her parents loved and supported her, even when they realized she was a mutant. That was a good sign. Their home had been full of love when Kitty had done the home visit months ago, and she was hoping that they would continue to support their daughter as she wrestled with who she was and what she believed. And if things turned out otherwise, then Fatima had a home here.

She chatted with the girl for fifteen minutes in her dorm room, laughing several times at Fatima's wit and personality. There was no doubt the young woman was improving, something which made Kitty's heart soar. All of them at Xavier School had seen too much suffering, too much anguish, much of it self-inflicted.

Or inflicted by those who were supposed to love them.

The vibration of her cellphone in her back pocket drew Kitty's attention as well as Fatima's. The girl's dark eyes danced with amusement as Kitty sighed and checked the text message.

_just got back. getting in shower. will wait for you five minutes, so move your cute ass_

“Wow, one guess who that is,” Fatima said teasingly. Kitty knew there was no denying the blush coloring her cheeks, so she simply grinned and slid the phone back into her rear pocket.

“I'm good, Miss Pryde,” Fatima said. “Seriously.” She smiled. “Go see your girlfriend.”

Kitty stood, with Fatima rising as well. “Study for your Basic Powers Application practical, okay?” she asked. “Don't just cram. These are skills that'll help you in the real world, in everyday life. Don't cut corners.”

Fatima gave Kitty an off-kilter salute. “Yes, Headmaster Pryde,” she said jokingly.

As Kitty left the girl's room and closed the door behind her, she was already calculating the fastest direct route to her and Illyana's room without phasing through anything important.

—O—

The rush of the shower was just barely audible as Kitty stepped into the foyer that served as the entrance to the rooms she and Illyana now shared.

The first three nights following the incident with Belasco, they had done nothing more intimate than kiss, hug and hold each other while they lay in bed together, talking and trying to catch up on the last few years until they both fell asleep.

The fourth night, there wasn't much in the way of prolonged conversation. When Illyana had removed her robe to reveal the incredibly immodest black lingerie top and bottom, Kitty had felt her heart skip ten or twenty beats. Once she could think coherently again, it had taken her less than a second to phase out of her own nightie and another two to grab Illyana's hips and pull her squealing— _squealing_ —onto the bed, where they spent most of the night making love and whispering both pleas for forgiveness and expressions of love.

It had amazed Kitty at how, despite so many years since they had last done this, Illyana still knew exactly how to touch her, exactly where to touch her to make her come apart. It had taken just over a minute for Kitty to be swept up in her first orgasm of the night, something that had never happened to her before. And when she flipped Yana onto her back and took in the beautiful sight of the smiling blonde naked in her bed, she saw her future, her home, laid out before her in a way that had never been clearer.

That entire night had been a dance, a piece of performance art brought to sensual life by two women who had known and still knew each other's bodies better than they had known their own. Kitty marveled at how Illyana, so strong, so composed, so proud, shivered and cried beneath her as her Katya touched and kissed her, entirely unafraid of revealing her emotions or appearing vulnerable in a way that no else had ever seen, that no one else _would_ ever see.

Only her.

The smack of semi-wet fabric against her face shocked Kitty out of her thoughts. She swiped her arms at the dark article of clothing, managing to awkwardly grab it somehow before it fell. She could smell Illyana's sweat in it already, could feel it in the damp cloth of the cut-off t-shirt, and despite it being dirty, it put a smile on her face as she wadded it up into a ball in her hands.

“You made the five-minute cutoff,” Illyana said, smiling as she leaned against the doorway leading from the office, where Kitty currently stood, into the kitchen marking the boundary between the more public rooms in the headmaster's suite and the private rooms deeper inside. She was wearing a dark gray sports bra and dark red boyshort underwear, both of which were also wet with sweat. Her feet were bare, and a light sheen of sweat could be seen on her legs, her abdomen and her neck.

“You don't match,” Kitty said teasingly.

Illyana shrugged her shoulders. “Nobody gets to see this but you,” she replied smoothly. “And you love me no matter what I wear.”

“That's true. Have a good workout?” Kitty asked, walking slowly across the spacious office, lightly passing the balled-up shirt back and forth between her hands.

“Not bad,” Illyana said, holding her nonchalant position and keeping eye contact with Kitty.

Kitty waited until she was just a few steps away from Illyana to throw the shirt at her girlfriend's face. A blue-white circle appeared around it as it flew, teleporting the makeshift missile directly behind Kitty's head.

Having expected that tactic, Kitty phased.

The shirt flew through Kitty's insubstantial head and struck Illyana squarely in the face, causing the blonde to immediately cackle with laughter as she threw the sweaty shirt to the floor.

“Katya!” she said, mouth open with delight, but before she could move forward, Kitty had already grabbed the blonde's wrists, briefly holding her in place as she kissed her lover.

“Come here,” Kitty said, her voice just above a whisper as she led Illyana through the kitchen into the sitting room, then into their bedroom. She carefully positioned the compliant blonde, who was smirking the entire way, in front of their bed and gently pushed her backward, causing her to sit down on the side of the bed.

“I'm dirty,” Illyana said in an innocent voice that made Kitty's mouth dry and other parts of her wet.

“Yeah, you are,” Kitty replied, “You don't fool me at all, Illyana Rasputin.”

The blonde's pale blue eyes were smoldering as she looked up at the woman she loved, body, mind and soul. “You're the only person I'd never try to fool,” she said slowly, her voice raw with emotion.

Kitty watched as Illyana patiently, slowly rose to her feet. As the blonde did so, careful to not bump or push Kitty back so that they stood face to face, chest to chest, Kitty could see the blonde was trembling, was actually _shaking_.

“Yana, what—”

When Illyana's mouth opened, Kitty was genuinely unsure of what was going to come out. The bright white-blue glow of a tiny stepping circle at Illyana's hand registered in Kitty's peripheral vision, but she couldn't pull her eyes away from Illyana's bright blue gaze.

“ _Behold_ ,” Illyana spoke in Hebrew, enunciating slowly and carefully, while never looking away from Kitty's brown eyes, their pupils widening as she realized the significance of what Illyana was saying with perfect recitation. _“You are betrothed to me with this ring, in accordance with the laws of Moses and Israel.”_

Kitty shivered powerfully; she felt her body phase uncontrollably, but she held her position and returned to a substantial state just a moment later. She tried to speak, but there was no air in her lungs, and all she could do was look slightly upward into Illyana's piercing blue eyes. “H-how...” she finally managed to breathe out. “How... d-did you know t-to... H-How did you say... th- _that_?” she gasped, stumbling over her words like a toddler.

The smile that slowly drew across Illyana's mouth was genuine, even though there was just a touch of sadness buried in the happy expression, something that she didn't attempt to hide, not from Kitty. Illyana slowly spoke, her voice just above a whisper, “I've practiced saying that since I was fourteen years old.”

Kitty's chest convulsed once with a muffled sob as her hand flew up to cover her mouth, just in time for her tears to hit her index finger and slither over the rest of her digits. She blinked tears out of her eyes, finally allowing her head to tilt down to look at the metal ring held carefully in the fingers of Illyana's right hand.

It was lovely, an unusual color reminiscent of honey or amber, with incredibly intricate tracings and etchings running over it. Kitty felt frozen in place as her eyes roamed over the ring, taking in the design, including a prominent Star of David and another relatively large symbol that she didn't recognize.

Then she realized Illyana was still waiting for an answer, standing there patiently before her.

Kitty leaned forward, her right hand coming up for her fingers to lightly rest on Illyana's left cheek. She nodded, staring intently into Illyana's eyes and ignoring the tears running down the front of her throat at this point. “Yes,” she said, first in English, then, “ _Yes_ ,” in Hebrew, then, smiling even more, “Da.” She brushed her lips against Illyana's, which parted ever so slightly in anticipation of the kiss deepening, as they both knew it would. “I accept, Illyana Nikolievna Rasputin,” she said against her lover's lips before she kissed her newly betrothed, straightening the fingers of her left hand to let Illyana slide the ring onto her finger.

She felt a heat surge through the ring as they kissed; it felt like the ring somehow shifted to better fit her finger, and when their lips parted several seconds later, Kitty lifted the ring to where she could see it more closely while Illyana loosely but carefully held her.

The etchings and markings on the ring seemed to shimmer with a red-gold light as Kitty turned the ring back and forth, the glow pulsing and flowing along the etchings as if it were an electrical circuit, or perhaps a circulatory system.

“It's enchanted,” Illyana said. “I forged it myself, in Limbo. It's an alloy of the seven mystic metals—but don't worry, I only put a tiny bit of lead in it, and the protective enchantments on the ring will keep it from harming you or anyone else, unless it's someone trying to hurt you. It also has some of our blood, both yours and mine, mixed in with the metal, to tie it to us.”

Kitty looked back up, meeting Illyana's gaze and lifting her right eyebrow in a _Do I really want to know_ expression.

Illyana smirked in that confident way that made Kitty's knees weak, wrinkling her nose in her _Probably not_ expression.

“What's this symbol?” Kitty said, pointing at the prominent design that appeared to be just slightly larger than the Star of David, positioned on the opposite side of the ring from the more recognizable symbol. It felt vaguely familiar, somehow.

“Sigil, to be more precise,” Illyana said, pausing for a moment. “It's our sigil.”

Kitty's mouth opened slightly as memories broke over her like an onrushing wave.

“ _It's my sigil,” Illyana said, as Kitty looked over her shoulder at the intricate design the younger girl was drawing on a piece of posterboard. “It symbolizes me, like a magical signature.”_

“ _How did you choose it?” Kitty asked, both fascinated and slightly uneasy at how the red ink seemed to squirm in some places, as if it was only barely being contained by the boundaries of the lines making up the design._

“ _I didn't,” Illyana said. “Not exactly. It's more like a... “ She sighed. “What's the word...? For working together?”_

_Kitty blinked. “Cooperation?”_

“ _Nyet. No.”_

“ _Collaboration?”_

“ _Yes! Collaboration,” she spoke, carefully enunciating each syllable. “It's more of a collaborative effort, between the person, the magic and the sigil.”_

_Kitty grinned. “Can you do one for me?”_

_Illyana looked up, over her shoulder at Kitty's sweet face, her dark brown curls, her eager eyes. “It would be difficult, but I could.”_

_Kitty's grin grew wider as she looked down at her best friend, the girl who held her heart and, for six months and going, secretly shared her bed. “Can you do one... for us?”_

Kitty blinked her way back to the present. “You... you kept it?” she whispered.

Now Illyana's tears were trickling down to her lips. She smiled, savoring the salty taste, knowing it came from the best, truest part of her—the part that loved her Katya. “Da,” she said tenderly.

Kitty threw her arms around Illyana, hugging her fiercely. “I was such a worthless bitch, letting all we had go!” she gasped out, holding onto Illyana like a life preserver keeping her head above the waters of a hungry sea. “I'm—”

“Don't apologize any more, Katya, please, love,” Illyana said gently, rubbing Kitty's back. “You're not worthless or a bitch. You never could be, not to me. I could forever apologize to you as well, for being so cold to you, for not seeking you out, for suffering alone instead of talking to you, for letting you go into space not once but twice. I have not been a best friend to you for some time, so you do not owe me any more apologies, EVER.” She sighed. “The past is behind us. Now we live. Now we move forward and make a life, a _home_ , together.”

Kitty nodded against Illyana's bare shoulder, closing her eyes and soaking in the warmth of her lover's skin, still sticky with sweat, but Kitty didn't care.

“Should we invite my mother to the wedding?” she asked, smiling against Illyana's fair skin.

“Of course,” replied the blonde. “She's the only parent either of us have left.”

“She probably won't come.”

“Probably not. But it _is_ the polite thing to do.”

“What if she comes and is a total raging bitch?”

There was a brief pause.

“Then I'll teleport her to Limbo.”

“Yana!”

Illyana grinned as she slowly turned around, spinning Kitty with her. “Let's get in the shower, my Katya,” she said. “I need to wash off. You can help me with that.”

“Oh, I can, can I?” replied the brunette, a knowing smile on her face and gleam in her brown eyes.

“Mmm hmm,” hummed the Russian, gently tugging on their clasped hands to lead Kitty into the large bathroom, already mostly filled with steam.

“Yana?”

“Yes, Katya?”

“Would you really teleport my mother to Limbo?”

Illyana left the question hanging in the steamy air as she kissed and started to undress the woman who was going to be her wife.

Kitty decided she really didn't care what the answer would have been, anyway.

 


	2. Spellbound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like the first chapter, this chapter gives us a few slice-of-life moments for Kitty and Illyana leading up to the wedding. I've decided to add a third chapter to cover the wedding and what comes after, because this chapter was threatening to get really out of control otherwise. I've included stamps to indicate where time skips ahead.

_Don't even think about what's right or wrong, wrong or right_

_'Cause in the end it's only you and me_

_And no one else is gonna be around to answer all the questions left behind_

_And you and I are meant to be so even if the world falls down today_

_You've still got me to hold you up_

_And I will never let you down_

 

\--The Veronicas, “Untouched”

 

—O—

 

**JUST UNDER ONE YEAR LATER**

The notably loud slam of overstuffed file folders onto the conference table was just another sign that something was wrong at the Xavier School.

Eyebrows raised around the large table, as glances were quickly cast about, met and returned silently while Headmaster Kitty Pryde angrily rearranged the folders in front of her chair, grumbling to herself as she continued to stand rather than take her seat for the morning faculty meeting.

“Um... Kitty?” asked Dr. Henry McCoy, balanced atop the back of his chair. If no one else was going to mention the pink mutant elephant in the room, then he supposed it was up to him.

Kitty looked up from where she was making mostly a mess of the file folders. Her eyes were narrowed slightly in a clear sign of annoyance, although the funk she had been in since yesterday was already quite evident to the faculty (and most of the students) of the Xavier School.

The glance of Kitty's eyes toward the empty chair beside her, where her fiancee Illyana Rasputin should have been sitting, was another tell-tale sign something was wrong.

McCoy, the X-Man and former Avenger known as Beast, cleared his throat. “Far from me to presume to tell you how to run this school,” he said calmly, “but all of us are concerned at your rather... uncharacteristic behavior the last two days.”

The smacking of a thick file folder hitting the floor after accidentally being phased through the surface of the large table provided an awkward punctuation to Hank's statement.

“I'm fine,” Kitty said, too quickly and a bit too forced to sound sincere. She quickly looked down to the other file folders, trying not to scream, cry or phase anything else through the table as she thought about the student applications that would now be scattered over the floor below the table.

“Headmaster,” Hank said gently. “I, er, haven't finished reviewing my slate of applications yet. Would it be possible to postpone this meeting for another day or two? To, _ahem_ , give me more time to review my files?”

Kitty's glare lasted for another second before her frustrated mind processed what her friend was doing, then it took considerable effort to not break into a smile and tears at the same time. _You're a good man, Hank McCoy._ “Fine. We'll do this tomorrow at nine.”

There were a few grumbles and irritated looks as the faculty filed out, but there were just as many who looked relieved at having another day to put off the meeting.

“It _was_ a good idea,” Hank said as the last of the teachers on the selection committee left the room.

“What?” asked Kitty. “Postponing the meeting?”

“Inviting non-powered teachers to be part of the faculty. It'll help ground the rest of us.”

Kitty nodded. “We needed more than just us. Not only to handle the class load with our numbers growing, but to remind us that there's more to life after graduation than fighting Sentinels and supervillains.” Kitty looked at the window, watching the students eating lunch, reading or playing on the school's main lawn down below.

The soft creaking of the seat next to Kitty told her that Hank had sat down. She glanced out of the corner of her eye, seeing that he hadn't sat in Illyana's chair, which remained empty.

“Did the two of you have a fight, Kitty?” Hank asked, his voice as gentle as that of the kindly uncle Kitty had always considered him.

Kitty was quiet for several seconds before she swallowed, her throat dry. “Yes,” she finally said. “Over something stupid.”

Hank nodded. “It usually is, once we have the benefit of hindsight.”

It was silent in the room for several minutes, as Kitty watched the students down below acting like normal preteens and teenagers, talking, laughing, checking cell phones, throwing a frisbee, kicking a soccer ball. Like their school wasn't mostly taught by hardened fighters and killers who had faced genocide multiple times.

“It was about Piotr,” Kitty finally said, her voice low.

Hank nodded. “Not the exact cause I was expecting, but certainly a potential powder keg.”

Kitty turned, surprised. “He's Illyana's _brother_ , Henry. How can we _not_ invite him to the wedding?”

Hank took a drink of his coffee, which he was still holding. “He also happens to be _your_ old boyfriend, which I imagine is the main source of friction here.”

Kitty sighed, lowering her head to look at the floor. A few papers had sailed out from under the table, tiny islands of white against the dark wood floor. “That's... certainly the biggest problem, definitely. But I haven't thought of him in _that_ way for years!”

Hank sighed. Kitty was brilliant, but sometimes she had blind spots in her logic.

“I mean, I chose _Yana_ , not him!” Kitty said hotly, trying to fill the silence hanging in the air.

“Yes, you did, but how long did it take you to do so?”

Kitty stopped in place, then she slowly turned to look at Hank, who was looking at her with the knowing expression of a parent imparting an unpleasant truth to a beloved child.

“Kitty, Illyana knows you've chosen her. The two of you _are_ getting married, after all, and you've both been the happiest I've ever seen either of you these last twelve months. But to her, Piotr is associated with painful memories, and not just memories of you and him dating.”

Hank stood, the chair creaking beneath his frame as he pushed off of it. He walked over to Kitty, opening and extending his powerful arms.

Without hesitation, Kitty stepped into his embrace, smiling at the comforting feel of his soft blue fur against her face and arms.

“You'll get through this, Kitten,” Hank said quietly, smiling against the top of her head. “Illyana loves you more than anything, and I know you feel the same about her. She'll be back once she's had some time to cool off.”

Kitty nodded, blinking away the tears. “I know,” she said, her voice muffled by Hank's fur. “But it still hurts.”

“Of course it does. That's because you care about her, and she about you.”

Kitty nodded against his chest. “I know. I can feel how much she loves me, through our connection. Even when all the emotions start to jumble together like it did when we were arguing yesterday, I can still feel how much she cares, just like I could feel how much it hurt her when we were yelling about Piotr.”

“Then that means she could feel the same from you, I imagine,” Hank replied calmly. “Emotions are powerful enough when we're experiencing ours alone. Each of you was getting a double dose of them when you were arguing.”

“I... I hadn't thought about that,” Kitty admitted, her voice quiet. Suddenly the seething anger and chattering anxiety she had felt at that time made more sense.

“You can talk it out. That's what words are for, after all. Aren't you meeting with the wedding planner again today?”

Kitty nodded. “If she comes back.”

“The planner or Illyana?”

Kitty couldn't help but let herself smile at the joke from her old friend. “The planner. I know Yana'll be back.”

Hank chuckled, a happy sensation that Kitty could feel in his chest. “Something tells me she's seen couples argue before.”

“Yeah, but I doubt she's ever had someone teleport away because of an argument.”

Hank laughed softly. “I concede your point, Headmaster Pryde.”

—O—

The rest of the day seemed interminably slow. Kitty spent most of that time paying bills and looking over progress reports, two activities that required more concentration than most, in an attempt to quell her seething worry.

It was just an hour before three, when they were supposed to meet again with the planner, when she realized that not all of the worry trapped inside her was her own.

Kitty took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair, relaxing as much as she could. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on the anxiety and turmoil she felt in her heart.

_I love you, Yana_ , she thought, focusing on the deep, powerful love she felt for the woman she had chosen for her mate. Their love for each other had survived teenage years, forced separation, Kitty's boyfriends, even death. That same love would survive them arguing about the wedding.

Kitty smiled when she felt a warmth penetrate the nausea deep inside her, between her heart and her gut, that told her Illyana was returning the loving feelings Kitty was sending her.

They would work it out. She knew they would.

—O—

“Will your fiancee be, um, joining us today?”

Kitty had just opened her mouth in an attempt to answer the blonde woman when the door to the small conference room opened, revealing Illyana in her short leather top, even shorter leather shorts and her thigh-high boots.

“I'm sorry for being late,” the Russian woman said quietly, quickly taking a seat before Kitty could stand. The two of them glanced at each other, both faces wearing hesitant expressions. Kitty didn't see any lingering anger in Illyana's face, but there was still hurt lurking beneath the neutral expression on her lover's face. Seeing Illyana's emotionless mask settle into place again stung; Kitty thought they had moved past that stage with each other.

“We can postpone the guest list discussion until the next meeting,” Kitty said quickly. “That should give us time to talk through that.”

“Absolutely,” replied the wedding planner, in her forties but possessed of a frightful amount of drive. “Have you two had time to discuss venues?”

Surprisingly, it was Illyana was spoke first. “My only concern for a venue is that the location should be kept secret from those planning to attend. For security purposes.”

The planner blinked several times as a nonplussed expression settled across her face. “Well, that would be unworkable. What will the invitations say? How will the caterers arrive?”

“I would be willing to transport people from a neutral meeting point to the wedding location itself,” the Russian said calmly. “I don't want to present a large target for those who would seek to do us harm, let alone give them advance notice to prepare an attack.”

“Then why are you having a large wedding at all?” asked the planner, who was trying not to get frustrated. She had dealt with tricky couples before, but watching two people, each of whom could easily kill her, argue yesterday had been particularly nerve-wracking.

“Because the woman I love deserves to feel special on such an important day.”

Kitty's heart skipped a beat as she processed the sentence, and the several layers of meaning beneath what Illyana had said and what the Russian _hadn't_ said. She quietly took in a deep breath and wished again that she could somehow magically take away all the self-hate that haunted the woman she loved. It had gotten better, significantly better over the last year, but that darkness and self-loathing continued to lurk in Illyana's subconscious, waiting for the right moment to rise up and strike again and again.

“Yana,” Kitty said gently, resting her left hand on her lover's bare thigh. “You deserve to feel special too.”

Yana's bright blue eyes were glistening, an unexpected sight that took Kitty's breath away. “Having you by my side, becoming my wife...” The blonde took in a shaky breath, somehow keeping the tears at bay. “That will already make me feel more special than I ever could have imagined.”

Illyana quickly looked away from Kitty, her eyes seeming to fixate at a spot on the wall behind the wedding planner. She hoped Kitty couldn't discern the emotions warring within at her, telling her that she was being foolish, that she would only cause the woman she loved pain and heartbreak, that all someone like her could ever bring to a union was bitterness and ash. Even now she could hear the sharp edge in Katya's words, despite her girlfriend trying to restrain it, and that was clearly the result of the angry things they had yelled at each other yesterday.

She didn't want a large wedding. A simple ceremony in a field of wildflowers would be ideal, as far as Illyana was concerned, something that would allow the beauty and heart of her Katya to shine brighter than anything around her. But Katya had always wanted a glorious wedding, surrounded by the friends and family she had made, not the ones she had been born into.

She would have it.

“So we're keeping the target number for the wedding attendance around 300?” asked the planner hesitantly.

“Yes,” Illyana said confidently, refusing further elaboration.

“What about the invitations?” asked the blonde sitting across the table from them. “Did one of them catch your eye after you had time to look at them?”

Kitty frowned. Illyana had left without saying anything other than the brief discussion they had had in the meeting yesterday, so Kitty had looked at and considered the invitations last night. “I like this one,” Kitty said, sliding one of the half-dozen forward, then placing the others in a neat stack to the side.

Illyana looked at her love's selection, and her lips briefly turned up into a slight smile. She _had_ looked at the invitations more last night, thanks to an image she conjured from her memories. But the one Kitty had chosen was the one Illyana had voiced her approval of yesterday.

Illyana looked softly at Kitty, her expression unreadable for a brief moment before she looked back at the wedding planner. “That one would be my choice as well,” she said politely.

“Agreement, excellent!” the woman said happily. “Did you have time to consider any music for the wedding ceremony itself or the reception?”

Both women nodded. Kitty pulled out a small legal pad and tore off a page covered with neat writing. “Here are some selections that I'd like to consider. We can make a final decision once we decide on the musicians and sound technicians and have a chance to talk to them.”

The woman took the paper and quickly perused it. She looked up. “Traditional wedding march?” she asked Kitty. “That could get confusing if you both use it, but I remember one lesbian couple who both walked in together to it. It made for a really sweet moment.”

Kitty felt the barest touch on her left wrist; she looked down to see Yana's fingers tentatively resting there, then she looked up to see her girlfriend's face smiling softly.

“I'm glad you're doing it,” Illyana said. “It's what I have always thought of as well. You... entering to those notes of music.” _I've dreamed of it a thousand times._

Kitty involuntarily fluttered her eyes briefly. She could feel the depth in Yana's words, that there was more meaning to them than what her lover was verbalizing. She could also feel the warmth in her chest that told her that whatever it was Yana's wasn't saying, it was something heartfelt and loving.

It was really hard to stay mad at Yana sometimes. Despite all the darkness Illyana had suffered throughout her life, despite the power she wielded and the menace she could exude, there was still a part of her that remained a young, sweet Siberian girl who had a heart full of love and joy. Her innocence and childhood had been stripped away from her years ago, but she chose to keep fighting for others, for a better world.

She chose to keep fighting for love, and for the woman she loved.

A gasp from the wedding planner yanked Kitty out of the deep pool of her thoughts. She quickly looked at the woman, who appeared stunned as she was looking at a somewhat crumpled piece of paper that sported a smudge of soot on one corner.

_Oh, God,_ Kitty thought. _Yana's choice of music._

“Is this a real list?” the blonde asked, her face somewhat stricken. “This isn't a joke?!”

Illyana nodded innocently.

Kitty watched the exchange, fighting to keep a grin off her face.

“You _cannot_ walk out to 'Devil's Child' by Judas Priest!”

Kitty snickered without meaning to; she quickly coughed and covered her mouth to hide her grin. That was her Yana, all right.

“I have some alternate choices on there,” Illyana said politely, pointing at the paper.

“ _'Am I Evil'?!”_ the planner said, her voice higher in pitch. “I've never even _heard_ of a band called... Diamond Head?! Is that right?”

Illyana quietly nodded again, her face utterly neutral as the wedding planner gasped again.

“'RAINING BLOOD'?!” the poor woman practically shrieked. The increasingly frustrated woman turned to Kitty, her face pale.

Kitty shrugged. “My woman likes her old-school heavy metal,” she said calmly.

—O—

After the meeting was over and the wedding planner had been talked out of quitting, because she really _was_ a good planner with a history of pulling off complicated weddings whom Kitty and Yana trusted could make things run smoothly, Illyana and Kitty stood alone in the meeting room, each quietly fidgeting as they stood there.

“I'm... sorry,” Illyana said quietly. “For yesterday.”

Kitty nodded silently before she replied, “Me too.” She kept looking at the floor. “I missed you last night.”

“I spent the night in Limbo,” Illyana said softly.

_Probably on our favorite patch of ground_ , Kitty thought. _Overlooking the blood-red lake that's so pretty, as long as you don't get close enough to it for something to grab you._

“I... I didn't feel like I deserved to be in bed with you,” Illyana whispered.

While for some people it might have been a ploy, an attempt to inspire sympathy, Kitty knew both from experience with her girlfriend and from the bitter stinging sensation leaking through their soulbond that Illyana was being entirely serious.

It was frustrating sometimes, although Kitty wasn't ever sure she would tell Illyana that. Always trying to build up Illyana's self-confidence, her self-worth. It wasn't the Russian's fault she had suffered all she had, and Kitty knew that, but she had spent years helping her friend, now her girlfriend, cope with what had been done to her over the last two decades.

And she would gladly continue to do it. That was what friends, what partners did. Kitty was sure that she wasn't always the easiest to deal with, either. She could be demanding, picky, even obsessive or neurotic at times. She was sure that there were times when Yana got frustrated or irritated dealing with her, but the stoic blonde woman continued to stand by her despite all circumstances—including death.

Love meant knowing everything about someone and _still_ choosing to spend your life with them.

“Hey Yana?”

Illyana looked up at the sound of the soft voice she loved so much, knowing that the hesitant tone of the words was her fault. “Yes, Katya?” she replied softly.

“Are... we still on for tonight? Danger Room?”

Illyana smiled, trying not to shout with joy at the small crack in the ice between them. “I wouldn't miss it for anything.”

—O—

The intense surge of jumbled emotions woke the Stepford Cuckoos from their sleep, all three of them abruptly sitting upright in their individual beds in the large room they shared.

_What was that?!_ the three of them thought to each other simultaneously, before another surge of intense psychic emotions slapped them like a bucket of brackish water.

Immediately they were out of their beds, Celeste and Phoebe throwing on robes and Mindee just wearing her My Little Pony pajamas. (She didn't really give a fuck what anyone thought about her clothing choices.) The second surge had come from the direction of the Danger Room, and a third bolt of emotional anguish stabbed into their temples while they were on the elevator.

When the elevator doors opened, the three young women experienced a shared moment of surprise when they saw Rachel Grey, in sleep shorts and a t-shirt, punching keys on the keypad lock leading to the Danger Room's control booth. The redhead's short hair was messy and disheveled, and she blinked a few times too many when she turned to look at the three new arrivals.

“You felt it too, huh?” Rachel said, a statement more than a question. She turned around and tapped two more keys. The doors to the control booth opened with a soft hiss, with Rachel not even waiting for them to fully open before she was hurrying into the room.

A fiery presence at the back of the minds of the four women told them another was joining them, with expressions ranging from annoyance to disgust appearing across the faces of the Cuckoos as they recognized the rapid-fire intensity of the mind joining them.

“SOMEBODY was using the elevator, so I had to take the stairs!” Quentin Quire said loudly, only to be hushed in unison by the Cuckoos. “Oh, for pete's sake! The booth is sound-proofed! Unless someone's broadcasting, no one down there can hear us up here!”

“Quentin, please,” Rachel said over her shoulder. “I'm trying to figure out who's in there.”

The blast screens were lowered throughout the control booth, so none of them could see what was going on in the main Danger Room, and all of the monitors that should be displaying the events and status of the current activity were worryingly dark. More concerning, only a sense of psychic murkiness could be felt telepathically from the main section of the Danger Room down below.

This close and inside much of the psi-dampeners built into the Danger Room, the next bolt of emotional upheaval was much sharper and more intense. For Rachel, it was also much more recognizable.

“It's Kitty,” Rachel said, tapping away at the main terminal. She continued, typing in her access code to override the blast doors and the control screens being blank; they had been set that way, it seemed.

The soft whirring of well-oiled ball bearings in tracks announced the blast screen opening, revealing a sight before and below the control room that took the breath of all five of its inhabitants.

It was the Xavier School at night, although the flickering light from the school violently burning, large portions of it collapsed or blown to pieces, illuminated the brutal fighting on the central lawn in front of the school. Bodies lay strewn across the open field, punctuated with burning wreckage of vehicles intermittently. A flaming helicopter, torn mostly in two, sat in a small crater a few hundred yards away from the School itself, with charred bodies around it. An armored car and a tank both sat, each blown apart but dark and still, the figures visible in them unmoving.

“Dear God,” Mindee said softly, too shocked to think the words. The other Cuckoos were likewise befuddled. Even Quentin Quire was briefly without words.

A scrum of bodies in motion had formed close to the fountain in the center of the main walkway leading to the school. Flashes of fire from gun muzzles flickered on and off in the chaos of the melee; those deadly lights were countered by red flashes over the bodies of the two women in the center of the fighting, standing back to back and surrounded by what looked like two dozen soldiers in dark gray fatigues. Some had guns, other had swords, staffs or other melee weapons. Their equipment and gear looked like a mixture of soldiers and samurai, possibly ninja.

Even from up in the booth, the silver glow of Illyana's soulsword and the swinging of her long, straight blonde hair were easily visible. A glowing red blade was held in her left hand, opposite her soulsword, which was held in her right. However, effort was required to focus in on Kitty, a dark shape who phased in and out through the bodies of their attackers; the flash of a katana was sometimes visible in front of her, and occasionally the blade seemed to emit a pulse of bright purple light as it bit deeply into an attacker. As the five telepaths watched, Kitty's flashing blade cleaved through the neck of a soldier, sending his human head toppling to the ground and revealing a look of utter fury on the brunette's face.

“Are they actually _killing_ them?!” Quentin said, amazed.

Phoebe spoke up. “Danger, what's the kill count for Professor Rasputin?”

The mechanical voice of the sentient artificial intelligence that ran the Danger Room for which she was named came from the speakers around the room. “Current kill count for Illyana Rasputin is one-hundred-thirty-one counting all methods of damage. Of that number, one-hundred-and-three were from ranged attacks or area of effect attacks, including damage as a result of teleportation and from explosions caused directly by Illyana Rasputin. The remaining twenty-eight are from melee combat.”

“And for Headmaster Pryde?” asked Celeste.

“Current kill count for Kitty Pryde is eighty-seven, all from melee combat. Would you like a breakdown by specific manner of death, such as from mutant power of phasing versus edged weapon damage?”

“Yes!” said Quentin, gleefully.

“NO!” Rachel said, angrily.

“Uh oh,” said Phoebe. “Someone's pushing their way out of the wreckage of that helicopter.”

The Cuckoos and Quire all turned to see the flaming wreckage shift and slide, finally with several large pieces flying away. Stepping out of the wreckage, anachronistic suit smoldering in a few places, was Sebastian Shaw.

“This could get ugly,” said Mindee.

“Yeah, he's absorbed all the kinetic energy of the helicopter crash,” added Celeste. “He'll be nearly maxed out in power.”

Shaw spotted the melee. He took several running steps toward the mass of bodies, then leapt into the sky, arcing toward the fighting.

A green bolt of eldritch power struck Shaw in midair as he neared the fighting, sapping his forward momentum and sending him crashing into a group of soldiers. Shaw roared as he climbed to his feet, bellowing loudly as he faced the two women.

Suddenly Kitty was in front of him, hurtling herself directly at him and then _through_ him in the blink of an eye.

Shaw immediately gasped and grew silent. He teetered on his feet a few seconds, before clumsily tumbling forward onto two nearby bodies.

“What the fuck did she _do?!”_ Quentin practically shouted, his face a nearly comical mixture of delight and surprise as he leaned forward, closer to the observation windows.

“She's holding something,” Celeste said, squinting and wishing Rachel would get the monitors online so they could zoom in. “I think it's—” Her sentence cut off with a wet choking sound as her words failed her.

“Got it unlocked!” Rachel said triumphantly as the monitors flashed to life.

The main screen displayed the lines of information Rachel was particularly looking for.

 

CURRENT DANGER ROOM ACTIVITY

SELECTION: RANDOM

SCENARIO: ALL_IS_LOST

ARCHITECT: ILLYANA RASPUTIN

SAFETY LOCKS: PARTIALLY ENGAGED (ONLY PERMANENT/LETHAL DAMAGE TO USERS BLOCKED)

LEVEL OF FORCE ALLOWED: UNLIMITED

ENEMY COMBATANTS: RANDOM

THREAT LEVEL: HIGH (INITIAL), SUPERIOR (CURRENT)

THREAT LEVEL ESCALATION: YES, TO MAX LEVEL OF EXTREME

TYPE OF COMBAT: NO RESTRICTIONS

SIGNATURE VILLAINS: YES

VILLAIN LEVEL: HIGH (INITIAL), SUPERIOR (CURRENT)

SIGNATURE HEROES: NO

MUSIC PLAYLIST: ILLYANAS_PISSED

CURRENT SELECTION: ACES HIGH/IRON MAIDEN

NEXT SELECTION: THROUGH THE FIRE AND FLAMES/DRAGONFORCE

PREVIOUS SELECTION: KILLERS/MOTORHEAD

SEE FULL PLAYLIST? Y/N

 

“Oh my God!” Mindee said, her hand flying up to cover her mouth as she and her sisters stared into a monitor that had come to life in front of them. They were watching a replay of their headmaster, the sweet, caring Kitty Pryde phase into Sebastian Shaw and emerge holding a long, hose-like structure; as soon as she turned solid behind him, a gout of blood poured out of the long, fleshy tube.

“She pulled out his fucking AORTA?!” Quire said, literally jumping up and down in place. “HEADMASTER PRYDE?!”

“That's horrifying!” Phoebe said,, looking like she was about to throw up.

“You're disgusting, Quire,” hissed Celeste, looking sideways at him, disgust writ across her face.

Mindee just stood there in shock, her hand still covering her mouth.

Rachel stood still as a statue for several seconds, trying to take in what she was seeing. Obviously, Kitty and Illyana hadn't meant for anyone to see what they were doing here. They had turned on the psi-dampeners, the privacy screens, locked out the monitors and blocked access to the control room. She was only able to get in because she had Administrator-level access. None of them would have ever known what Kitty and Illyana were up to, except something had overwhelmed Kitty emotionally, causing momentary cracks in the psi-armor she and Illyana had erected around her mind. And whatever it was that had caused such a reaction in her friend had apparently been severe enough for her to justify using lethal force against those attacking the school in this scenario.

Rachel's stomach grew sick with dread and a cold nausea. She quickly called up the camera controls, then began cycling through the illusionary school.

Bodies. All dead. Mostly the dark-garbed soldiers, but far too many of the fallen were recognizable. Hank. Ororo. Both of them standing between a room full of slain students and a pack of attackers. The room itself was blown apart, walls shattered from the fighting.

Rachel cycled to the next camera. A group of young students, bloodied with bullet holes, slumped in a corner, huddled together.

The next camera showed Kurt, impaled on a massive spear. At least a half-dozen students, some of whom Rachel recognized as in the combined eighth and ninth grade class, were strewn around the room, brutally battered and slain. In the center of the room, the headless body of Proxima Midnight, one of Thanos's most powerful killers. Her head had been tossed on the ground next to the body, the sharp edges of the decapitation indicating the razor-sharpness of a sword.

Colossus, still in his steel form, with a massive hole gaping in his left torso where his heart and left arm should have been. Next to him, the lifeless body of Magneto, with no visible wounds on his body but with what appeared to be his lungs lying on the rubble next to him, a thin pool of dark blood beneath them.

A room full of older students, bodies both blown apart and scorched, with the corpse of Bishop, who appeared to have bled out from multiple stab and slash wounds to his neck and torso.

Room after room Rachel cycled through, the images were the same. The school had been breached. The students had been exterminated. The faculty and staff, all fallen but protecting their charges to the very end.

Including her, lying gutted on the floor of a dormitory lobby, in a pool of blood that didn't entirely belong to her, based on the shredded bodies of a score of attackers surrounding her.

“We need to go,” Rachel said, her throat thick and voice wet. She toggled the camera controls off. “This is...” She closed her eyes and choked down memories of carnage, of brutality and slaughter, the smell of smoke and ash and burning human flesh she had tried _so hard_ to forget somehow rising up in the back of her throat and making her gag. “This is something they wanted to do in private,” she managed to get out, her voice shaky, “and we're intruding.”

“But...!” Quentin said, only to be grabbed by both arms, Mindee on his right and Celeste on his left, and steered out of the control room.

Rachel closed the blast screens again, checked the psi-dampeners and saw that they were already at maximum, then locked out and blanked the monitors again.

“Get your hands off me!” Quire said, a pink glow beginning to manifest around his head as his telekinesis began to flare; however, that was immediately overpowered by a blue glow around the heads of all three of the Cuckoos.

_Go_ , said Celeste telepathically.

_Ahead_ , added Mindee eagerly.

_Quire_ , finished Phoebe, all three itching to lash out at the prickly young man.

“Calm down,” Rachel said, a red glow building around her own head. “Back to bed, all of you, and not a word of this to anyone tomorrow, unless you plan on confessing to Kitty or Illyana that you were spying on them.”

“What about you?” asked Quentin, already huffing about being told what to do.

“Oh, I'll talk them about it,” Rachel said. “But I plan on leaving the four of you out of it. Unless you _want_ me to tell them.”

“Goodnight, Professor Grey,” said Celeste, offering a weak but passably polite smile. Her sisters followed her when she turned and began walking to the elevator.

“Good _night_ , Quentin,” Rachel said to the pink-haired young man, who groaned to himself but turned around and walked down the hall.

“I'll take the stairs,” he called out over his shoulder. “Wouldn't want to be stuck on an elevator with _them_ , anyway,” he said, voice dropping to a mumble as he walked away.

Rachel turned back to the door to the Danger Room; she quickly closed and relocked it. She stood there for several moments, staring at the blank steel doors. _I hope the two of you work this out soon,_ she thought, keeping her thoughts tightly to herself due to the presence of so many telepaths nearby. _I don't think this is entirely healthy. For either of you._

—O—

Illyana was fully focused on the two cyborg Reavers that were approaching her and Kitty when she felt more than saw her lover collapse on the shattered ground.

“KATYA!” she screamed, immediately teleporting a pool of lava roughly the size of a small car onto the two Reavers, whose screams only lasted a second before the magma both incinerated and crushed them. She ran toward Kitty, who was curled up into a ball on the wreckage scattered around them. Blood stained her uniform in so many places that there was more brown fabric than yellow in the stylized X over her torso and hips, but Illyana only saw a few nicks in the fabric. “Katya, what is it?” she asked frantically, slipping into Russian accidentally. _“What's wrong, beloved? Where are you hurt?”_ she asked, but Kitty only gasped for breath as she shook where she lay.

“DANGER!” Illyana shouted, lifting her head up. “END SIMULATION, NOW!”

Instantly everything around them vanished, leaving just them, slightly off-center in the large room. Carefully Illyana cast a diagnostic spell on Kitty, relief washing over her when she only felt some minor bruises and scrapes. “Shhh, my love, it's alright,” she whispered to the sobbing Kitty. Illyana's strong arms carefully pulled her girlfriend into her lap as the blonde sat on the floor of the Danger Room; she kissed Kitty's head and held the brunette tightly as Kitty continued to cry, her anger and rage that had flared at the sight of her students, her friends, her home, all destroyed was now spent, leaving her emotionally exhausted and her heart aching.

“I'm sorry,” Illyana whispered. “We never should have run that program. I should have overridden it when it came up. You shouldn't have exp—”

“No,” came a weak voice from beneath Illyana's head, which the Russian had gently placed atop Kitty's own head, her chin and neck pressed protectively over and against her girlfriend's brown hair.

“I shouldn't have let you see that,” Illyana said, her own eyes burning as she cried with guilt over what Kitty had just experienced, the emotional torture she had inadvertently put the woman she loved through. “It was... it was too much.”

With a long sniffle, Kitty lifted her head slowly, giving Illyana time to pull her own head back. The brunette's eyes were red from crying, which had occurred several times during the last hour as they had fought their way through the grim scenario, but her face was determined as she looked into Illyana's own blue eyes, also red-rimmed with emotion. “You listen to me, Illyana Rasputin,” Kitty said fiercely, the energy in her voice at odds with her exhausted appearance. “We are in this _together!_ Do you hear me? TOGETHER.”

Seeing the surprised look on Illyana's face, Kitty continued. “I _know_ you want to spare me any kind of suffering or pain where possible, and I love you for that, but I have _chosen_ my place beside you, and I willingly accept all that comes with it, the good, the bad and the horrible.”

The spirited expression on her face softened, and her lips trembled slightly. “You shouldn't have to suffer all... this... by yourself,” Kitty said, her voice softer. “You're not going to be alone anymore, Yana. I swear it.”

Illyana's jaw quivered briefly before she hugged Kitty tightly, burying her face into her lover's shoulder and allowing herself to cry freely. Kitty tightened her grip on Yana and patted and rubbed the Russian's back soothingly as she comforted her.

_Sweet God, Yana,_ Kitty thought as she protectively held the woman she loved. _You don't need to torture yourself like this any more. You deserve better than to lose everyone you care about, over and over again, before you—_

Kitty felt herself breathe in shakily as she considered the parameters of the scenario. It was a warzone scenario. There were no victory conditions, because victory was not allowed. The scenario would continue until it was deactivated... or all the participants had been virtually killed.

Kitty closed her eyes against the tears that began to flow from her eyes again, running down her cheeks into Illyana's pale blonde hair.

_You lose everyone in this scenario, everything you care about, and then you die. Unable to save the ones you love. Unable to protect your home._ She shivered with emotion involuntarily. _How many times have you run this scenario, Yana? How many times have you tortured yourself?_

“No more,” she whispered against her girlfriend's hair, smelling the softness, the warmth that was her Yana. “You're not a failure, Yana. You're a hero. You're MY hero. And I'll ALWAYS be with you.” She sucked in a shuddering breath. “You're never going to be alone again, _moya lyubov_ ,” she whispered, the Russian for “my love” falling smoothly from her lips thanks to months of practice.

They sat that way for several minutes, neither wanting to do anything to break the contact between them. Kitty hummed a few lullabies, then nervously began to softly sing a few baby songs she remembered her parents singing to her when she was a child. They were nonsense, as most baby songs were, but the sensation of feeling Kitty's breathing around and against her and hearing her lover's gentle voice finally managed to soothe the tumultuous emotions flowing back and forth between the two of them.

Soft, tender kisses on Kitty's neck, slowly moving up toward her head, told her that Illyana was feeling better now that she had been allowed to cry things out.

“ _Spasibo,”_ the blonde whispered in Russian. Thank you.

“ _Poz... pozhaluysta,”_ Kitty replied, a bit stiffly, in the same. You're welcome.

Illyana smiled, and the brightness of her pale blue eyes, despite the bloodshot vessels surrounding those pupils, was the most beautiful thing Kitty had ever seen. “You have _always_ been my hero,” said the Russian woman, her voice raw and raspy, then she kissed the woman she had loved as long as she could remember.

When Illyana had finally emotionally recovered enough to safely teleport them to their rooms, they wasted no time stripping off their uniforms and getting into the shower. The thirty minutes that followed were composed of roughly ten percent of the time washing and cleaning and ninety percent of the time holding each other and/or kissing under the warm spray of water.

They made love twice that night, the first immediately after finishing the shower. Their bodies were still wet in places from the shower, but they didn't care as they touched, kissed and entered each other slowly, gently until both of them had satisfied each other. They fell asleep, tangled together in sheets that were wet in spots and partially torn off the bed, but neither of them cared.

Sometime during the night, Illyana slowly became aware of Kitty's fingertips softly touching her, slowly stroking her thighs and her labia, silently asking for permission rather than simply taking her lover. Illyana would have allowed her to do so without regret or hesitation had her Katya gone ahead and slid her fingers into her, but she could understand, even in the twilight state between sleep and waking, what her girlfriend was asking, and she slowly shifted her right leg forward and outward to invite her lover inside her.

Immediately she felt Kitty slip into her, the gentle touch completing a heated circuit not just physical and sexual but also emotional and spiritual. Illyana could only gasp and clutch backwards over her shoulder, finally tangling her fingers in Kitty's thick chestnut hair and holding on tightly as her mate worked back and forth inside her, her slim finger curling and twisting in the way she knew her best friend loved, hitting the right spots over and over again as Kitty started to lose herself in the eager heat and intimate pressure of her girlfriend.

The sensation of something brushing against her legs was a bit surprising, but even in her drowsy state Kitty could recognize the feeling of Illyana's slim tail stroking the back of her thigh, gently wrapping around her right leg. Kitty smiled in the darkness as she leaned her head forward, burying her face in Yana's blonde hair. Yana was _really_ feeling it if her tail was out.

The warm tail slid just slightly back and forth against Kitty's bare skin in tune with Kitty making love to Yana, most of its movement lightly squeezing and then relaxing around Kitty's thigh and leg as Illyana gasped and rocked in the bed under Kitty's soft touch. When the blonde harshly sucked in a shaky breath, her entire body stiffened, her inner softness gripped Kitty's slim finger as tight as a steel vise, and her tail squeezed Kitty's leg in a primal, sensual embrace as every part of Illyana clenched and every sensation other than Kitty went away for several orgasmic seconds.

Kitty was already close to her own orgasm from where she had been touching herself before moving to Yana, and the sensation of Yana's breathing, her tail caressing and now squeezing Kitty's thigh, the feel of the woman she loved slamming into her climax had Kitty on the edge so badly that, had her mind considered it, she would have been begging to be tipped over the precipice.

And then the tip of Illyana's tail, twitching in a spasm of delight, fluttered between Kitty's slightly parted legs and brushed against her sex.

Kitty's orgasm hit her like a truck, with her entire body clenching as she stopped breathing momentarily. Her middle finger, still inside Yana, curled and pressed into the blonde's posterior wall, triggering a second orgasm from the still-gasping Russian woman. The two of them gripped each other tightly, Illyana's hand fisted into Kitty's hair, Kitty's body and left arm pressing against Yana's back, Yana's tail still squeezing Kitty's right leg and that same right leg wrapping around Yana's left leg.

Finally, after several seconds of primitive groaning, both women gasped for air as their bodies allowed them to breathe once more.

“Holy... _fuck_ ,” Kitty swore softly.

Illyana weakly mumbled something in Russian that Kitty had no chance of translating, not in her current state.

“Wh... what did you say, baby?” Kitty asked softly, her lips warm against Illyana's right ear.

Illyana swallowed carefully before replying, a grin on her face, “I said, I can't feel my feet. Or my legs. They're just... tingling right now.”

Kitty grinned as she placed a kiss behind Yana's ear. “Well, I can still feel part of _you_ on _me_.”

“Give me just a few seconds, and I'll make it go away,” Illyana said weakly. Her tail had also gone numb for the moment, unfortunately.

“No, no,” Kitty quickly said, throwing her right arm around Yana's chest, her hand softly cupping the blonde's left breast. She gently rubbed her wet finger across and around Yana's nipple, knowing the blonde's breasts would be extremely sensitive for the next few minutes; she grinned against Yana's neck as she felt her girlfriend shiver at the slick sensation against her skin. “If you make your tail go away now, after what it just did, then you'll be sleeping on the couch in the headmaster's office for a week.”

Illyana smiled and buried her face in her rumpled pillow. “I love you, Katya,” she said, lifting her head enough for her speech to be audible.

Kitty snuggled in against her mate, smiling as she placed another kiss on the back of her Yana's neck. “I love you, too, Yana,” she said warmly as she closed her eyes and drifted off into sleep, holding the woman of her dreams.

—O—

**THREE MONTHS LATER**

“Tell me again why I'm doing this?” Illyana yelled, trying (without much success) not to shy away from yet another pair of lacy panties thrown in her direction. She quickly breathed a sterilization spell in the direction of the silky white underwear where it had landed on her leg. She wasn't making any judgments, but she also didn't know these girls and wasn't taking any chances.

“Because it's a bachelor party!” shouted Roberto daCosta, his voice just barely audible over the pounding of the bass inside the strip club.

“But I'm not a bachelor!” Illyana shouted back, having to lean to the side to look around the nearly nude girl dancing in front of her, her bare legs just inches away from Illyana's face.

“Yeah, but you're exclusively into girls!” shouted Sam Guthrie from beside her.

“No, I'm exclusively into _Katya!”_ Illyana yelled back.

“It's a tradition!” shouted all of the men who had dragged her out to the strip club.

Illyana sighed again. She looked up at the young woman dancing in front of her, a pretty redhead who grinned lasciviously as she squatted nearly to the ground and swayed in front of the Russian woman. She _was_ quite attractive, Illyana would freely admit, but she wasn't the woman she loved, and that simple fact crushed the appeal of staring at the nude woman, no matter how beautiful she might have been. Illyana looked back up at the redhead and smiled politely at her, her eyes awkwardly sliding between the redhead's eyes and her breasts. She didn't want to look too long at either one, but not paying at least a modest amount of attention would have been rude.

The redhead winked at her, then she turned to the side and extended her left leg toward the fistful of money being held out to Illyana's right. Illyana breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Sam Guthrie, face visibly red even in the dim lighting surrounding the main stage, hesitantly slide several bills beneath the white garter on the woman's thigh.

“Yeah, Guthrie!” Roberto yelled, out of his chair and slapping his friend on the back happily. “Live a little!”

Sam met Illyana's grateful gaze and smiled at her. Illyana smiled back and tipped her forward slightly, silently thanking him for getting her off the hook.

The guys meant well. They really did. And the attention Illyana was getting from the dancers _was_ certainly flattering.

But none of them were her Katya.

“Hey, you're that hot X-Man, aren't you?” spoke-yelled a woman into Illyana's right ear, making her wince slightly. She turned to see a young woman built like Kitty, with the lean build of a professional dancer, small breasts, taut abdominal muscles, petite frame. “The one with the sword, right?” the woman loudly said again, flashing what Illyana was sure was a dazzling smile.

Illyana politely nodded. “I am here for my... bachelor party,” she said, raising her voice and leaning toward the young woman's ear. She was unsure if it would be better to put some dollar bills in the woman's garter or g-string now, in an attempt to stave off the offer of a lap dance or table dance, or if it was just stalling the inevitable.

Finally Illyana made her decision and reached for her money. The woman, who appeared to be in her early to mid-twenties, slightly younger than Illyana and Kitty, waved her hand in front of the blonde. “Oh, honey, it's on the house! You saved my sister and her family from a fire in her apartment building a month ago!”

Illyana swallowed a sip of her cola and bravely put on a polite smile as the woman took her by the hand and moved her in the direction of a nearby couch. She really, _really_ hoped Kitty was having a better time.

—O—

Kitty really, _really_ hoped Illyana was having a better time.

“There is NO FUCKING WAY I'm letting him swing that... that _thing_ in my face!” she shouted over the thrumming dance music to Alison Blaire, more famously known as the singer Dazzler.

Alison grinned as she turned her head away from the male dancer clad only in a g-string that seemed to be simultaneously defying the laws of physics and the breaking point of spandex as he worked his way around the main room of the U.S. Male Revue strip club. “Oooh, Kitty Pryde, cussing like a sailor! I _like_ it!”

“If he tries to stick his dick in my face, I'm phasing through the floor. I'm just telling you now.”

“I'll swap places with you!” said Amara Aquilla, one of the later members of the New Mutants, immediately getting up from her seat behind Kitty and stumbling over someone's purse along the way.

“Seconded!” added Dani Moonstar, a delighted grin on her face.

As Amara rapidly slid into the front-row seat Kitty happily vacated, Kitty turned to the dark-haired Native American, another former New Mutant teammate of her soon-to-be wife. As she slid into Amara's old seat next to Dani, Kitty said in a quieter voice, “I thought you and Rahne used to be...”

“I've played both sides,” Dani said back, before taking a drink of her ginger beer. “And you thought right, by the way,” she added with a smirk, lifting her bottle in a small salute. “People don't just form a special telepathic bond between them for no reason,” she said knowingly, leaning in close to Kitty. “No more than they just bond their actual _souls_ together, like you and Illyana did.”

Despite the heat in the club, Kitty felt herself blush. Maybe she and Yana _hadn't_ been as subtle as they had thought when they were teenagers.

Dani poked Kitty's shoulder lightly. “Rahne and I only got a _telepathic_ bond,” she said playfully, words barely audible over the pounding music. “You and Yana must have fucked A LOT more than we did!”

Kitty's face felt like it was going to spontaneously combust. Somewhat helplessly, she nodded. “Yeah, we probably did,” she said, deciding that owning up to the truth was probably the wisest choice of actions at this point. She wasn't fooling Dani, anyw—

Kitty whirled around, so that nearly her entire body was facing Dani. Some of the girls beside them jumped slightly, other than the ones currently focused on getting their dollar bills ready for when the muscular stripper reached them. “Your power!” Kitty shouted. “You could see our worst fears... or our _deepest desires!”_

The Native American smiled proudly. “Took you long enough to figure that out, Pryde!” she shouted back before happily patting the petite woman on her shoulder, then leaning in closer to Kitty's ear. “I'm happy for you and Illyana both. All either of you ever wanted, deep inside your hearts, was each other.”

“Why... Why didn't you tell us that?” Kitty said, looking into Dani's dark eyes, a bright hazel color that had seemed to somehow lighten through the years.

Dani smiled, a wistful expression both loving and slightly sad. “It wasn't my place to tell you,” she said. “All I could do was hope the spirits brought you two back to each other eventually. And they did.”

The two of them stared at each other for long seconds. They had never been teammates, ironically enough, not officially, but there had always been that bond between Kitty and the New Mutants, joined together forever by one slightly demonic, frequently scary but always amazing mutant sorceress.

Kitty leaned forward and hugged Dani around her neck. With little hesitation, Dani returned the embrace, holding Kitty around her torso.

“I hope you and Rahne make it back together, too,” Kitty said, hoping her muffled words were audible over the noise of the club. She felt Dani nod against her shoulder.

To her credit, there were no tears on Dani Moonstar's eyes when she and Kitty released each other from the hug. She had seen too much, been through too much as a Native American marginalized in a land her ancestors had settled, a mutant who had been stripped of her natural powers, a Valkyrie unable to return to Asgard, for her to cry right now. But there was a definite longing in her hazel eyes as she nodded again. “Me too,” she said sadly. “Me too. She's got a lot of issues to work through still. Those assholes who raised her seriously messed her up. Not sure if she'll ever be really free of those demons.”

Shrieking next to them signified the arrival of the male stripper; Kitty and Dani turned to see Alison, Rogue, Psylocke, Pixie, Rachel Grey, Ororo Munroe, Hope Summers and the young Jean Grey in various states of delight, embarrassment and giddiness.

“What say we leave them to it?” Dani said, standing up and holding a hand out for Kitty. “They can catch up to the rest of us who'd rather be someplace else.”

Kitty smiled and took Dani's hand, letting the taller woman help her up out of her chair. She looked behind them to the glowing table where Laura Kinney, Nico Minoru, Karolina Dean and Julie Power all sat chatting and drinking, the four of them, their drinks and the table between them illuminated by the swirling multicolored skin and hair of Karolina.

“Sounds like a plan,” Kitty said, taking the taller woman's strong hand.

—O—

“Excuse me,” Illyana said as they reached the loveseat. She was shockingly nervous at this point, which was more than a bit irritating to her, but it wasn't this woman's fault. Well, not deliberately. She pulled a wad of money from the pocket of her shorts and pulled two twenties out. “I greatly appreciate your offer,” she told the confused women, “but I... I'd really feel uncomfortable being that intimate with anyone other than my Katya—my fiancee.”

The small brunette's face went from uncertain to beaming in just a second. “You're so sweet! No offense taken, honey! I wouldn't want to do anything that'd make you uncomfortable. Your blonde friend there with the cute accent just wanted me to show you what you'd be missing as a married woman!”

Illyana looked behind her at Sam, his attention now occupied by a blonde on the stage in front of him and the other boys. Then she turned back to the dancer, smiled wickedly at her and held the two twenties out in front of her, quickly adding a third to them. “Why don't you make sure he gets the dance, then?” Illyana said slyly. “And I'll throw another twenty in if you let me get a picture for his wife without him knowing it.”

—O—

As Kitty lost herself in the rumbling of skate wheels on wood and soaring strains of 80's music, she considered their current location a major step up from the male revue. It had been some time since she been on skates, and watching her friends skating (or trying to skate) with her was entertainment all on its own.

Laura had immediately hit the rink like she had been skating since she was a child. Maybe she had been. Kitty wasn't exactly sure and wasn't going to ask. Nico, however, looked terrified as Laura pulled her along with her, skating backwards as she led Nico around the vast skating area.

Karolina and Julie could both apparently skate as well, although Karolina seemed to be more skilled than the redheaded girlfriend. But Julie grinned as she glided around the rink, letting Karolina twirl and zip around her as they went. The alien girl had muted her powers, appearing now like an ordinary (if beautiful) twenty-year-old willowy blonde, not out of shame or fear but because the glow her body had given off was interfering with the lights reflecting off the disco ball above the roller rink.

Kitty took a minute to think about how different the world had become. There were still those who hated everyone who was different—there always would be, unfortunately—but the numbers continued to slowly shift to those who were more tolerant of women, of different skin colors, different religions, different loves, different languages, different genetics. It was hard-won progress, coming in fits and starts with that progress still-too-frequently purchased with the blood of innocents, but that progress toward acceptance was what the X-Men stood for. It was what they and the Xavier School would always stand for.

“This is different, huh?” said a voice almost in Kitty's ear, startling her briefly.

“Jubilation!” the brunette shrieked, excitedly throwing her arms around her petite friend's shoulders. Which sent both of them tumbling to the ground.

Kitty instinctively phased through the surface of the rink, popping back up almost immediately. Jubilee landed somewhat awkwardly on her wrist with her left foot beneath her, but her vampire physiology kept her from suffering any significant injury.

“Oh, Jubes, I'm so sorry!” Kitty said as the two of them got back to their feet; the skaters behind them easily diverted to each side of them as they kicked off and got back up to speed. “I didn't hear you coming up behind me!”

“Ah, it's okay,” the Asian girl said with a grin. Her canines were just sharp enough to be noticeable if one knew to look specifically for them. Which Kitty did. “I don't make a lot of noise anymore.”

Kitty smiled as she looked over at her friend. “I'm so glad you came. Wasn't sure if you could get free or not.”

“Patsy and Jen are having a night in, and they insisted on keeping Shogo so I could be at your party,” Jubilee said as they skated easily around the track. As they coasted by the side facing the tables and main body of the skating center, she watched as Gabby Kinney, Laura's little sister, was lacing on a pair of skates, with the assistance of a slightly older blonde girl and a brunette wearing what looking like a unicorn toboggan.

“Who're the kids helping Gabby?” Jubilation asked.

Kitty looked over her shoulder, turning her head to keep looking at they curved around the end of the rink. “Molly Hayes is the one with the awesome hat, and Katie Power's the blonde,” she said. “They're both fifteen.”

“Mmm, Molly sounds familiar,” Jubilee replied. “Not sure I've ever heard of this Katie, though.”

“Molly's one of the Runaways. A mutant, too.”

“Really?”

“Yep. Strongest mutant we know of.”

Jubilee's mouth dropped open. “What? You're joking, right?”

Kitty shook her head. “Sweet as can be. Her powers are still stabilizing, so right now it's temporary surges of strength and invulnerability, but she blew Piotr away on lifting and power when she let us test her, and that was when she was twelve.”

“Shit,” Jubilee swore softly.

Kitty laughed, “Yeah, she knocked Logan through a wall, then about a hundred meters away when he blew cigar smoke in her face.”

Jubilee broke down and howled with laughter. “Please tell me someone got video of that!”

“Unfortunately, no. I blame Scott, both for having Logan deliberately try to provoke her and for not recording the results. He was the one in charge at the time.”

Kitty and Jubilation split to go around a father and his son skating slowly, the man carefully holding his son's hand to keep the boy balanced. Once they were around the two of them, they came back together smoothly. “From footage and first-hand accounts we've collected, in terms of physical strength, she's stronger than _Juggernaut_ when she powers up. She doesn't have that unstoppable power of his, but she could toss a battleship like a horseshoe.”

Jubilee cackled suddenly. “A _horseshoe?!_ Oh my God, Kitty, I knew you were an old woman in a hot body, but horseshoes? Seriously?”

Kitty felt her face flush red. “Anyway, Katie was one of Power Pack. You know, the kids who were superheroes?”

Jubilee's face lit up. “Ohmigod, I remember reading about them! Which one was she?”

“Katie was the youngest. She could—well, _can_ disintegrate things and convert their mass into energy. Her sister Julie's here, too.” Kitty spotted Julie and Karolina, pointing them out to Jubilee. “The redhead skating with the blonde. That's her older sister Julie, who goes by the hero name Lightspeed. She's still a reserve Avenger. Was a student teacher at Avengers Academy when it was open. I offered her a job teaching flying and aerial maneuvers. She's literally been flying since she was ten years old. She thanked me but turned me down, because she and her girlfriend Karolina—that's the blonde girl, who's really a Majesdanian, an alien—live in Los Angeles with the rest of the Runaways.”

“Must be pretty good, if she impressed you,” Jubilee said, watching Molly and Katie flank Gabby as they wheeled the younger girl onto the hardwood floor of the skating rink. The two of them each held one of Gabby's hands, helping the girl keep her balance as she wobbled awkwardly at first while rolling between them. “Aw, that's sweet. They're teaching Gabs how to skate.”

Kitty smiled as she watched with her friend. “They seem like good kids. I've only briefly spoken to Katie Power once, but she seems like she's doing okay now.”

Jubilation looked up, her face concerned. “Now?”

Kitty sighed. “Parents are divorced. Their mom didn't take it well when Julie came out as gay, after they'd moved to Los Angeles so Julie could pursue an acting career. Their brothers stayed in New York with the Future Foundation. Lot of friction between Katie and her mom, especially when Katie started hanging out with Julie and met Molly through her. Two of them hit it off, went from friends to more than friends by the time they were both fourteen, then Katie eventually dropped the bomb on her mom that she was gay too.”

“Oof,” Jubilee said softly. “Bet that sucked for both of them.”

“Nico, Laura's girlfriend knows the story a lot better than I do, but I know that Katie wound up running away, ironically enough. Nico, Julie, Karolina and Katie's mom found her in bed with Molly the next morning.”

“OH,” Jubilee said, her eyebrows rising comically. “In bed, like...”

Kitty met her friend's eyes. “Yep.”

Jubilee looked at the three girls again. “Shit.”

Kitty considered things, then shrugged. “You know, I should probably be more up in arms about kids having sex, but Yana and I were doing it almost every night when we were still thirteen.”

“Not everybody is emotionally equipped to handle it, Kitty. I sure wouldn't have been.”

“I'm not sure Yana and I were either, but I know that for us, it was something just... incredible. Wonderful. It made us feel loved and supported at a time when we both needed it badly.”

“And look at you today,” Jubilee said, playfully bumping her hip into Kitty's, sending them swerving to the left briefly. “Getting hitched to your high school sweetheart!”

Seeing Kitty smile shyly, Jubilee skated in front of her, turning backwards and continuing to skate as she took Kitty's hands in her own. “Hey, don't you act like you're embarrassed, Kitty Pryde!” she said, slipping into her mom voice. “I think it's pretty amazing that after all you and Illyana have experienced together, after all the shit that the universe has thrown at you both, you _still_ wound up together!”

Jubilee peeked over her shoulder to make sure she wasn't about to run over anybody, steering them around the turn while still going backwards, then she looked back at Kitty. “You were each other's first love, and you two _still_ love each other _,_ Kitty. Do you have any idea how amazing that is?!”

Now Kitty grinned, kicking forward and turning Jubilee around so that Kitty was skating backward and pulling Jubilee forward. “Yeah, I do,” she said. “I really, really do.”

“Have you heard from your woman tonight?”

Kitty nodded, guiding them around the turn at the other end of the rink. She felt Jubilee tug on her right hand, so Kitty slid toward that side, around someone that was in front of them. Once she saw the boy and girl go past, Jubilee tugged on her left hand again, guiding her back to their original line of motion. “She finally got them out of the strip club,” Kitty said.

“Oh, God, a strip club?” Jubilee said. “Hey, weren't you going to one of those too?”

“I think there's still quite a few there. Not my thing any more. Yana was just as uncomfortable at hers as I was at the one earlier. She said the girls were nice, at least. One of them tried to give her a dance for free, because Yana had saved her sister's family.”

“Aw,” Jubilee said, smiling.

“Yeah,” Kitty said, with a bashful smile. “She finally got them to move on. She's killing them at laser tag, last I heard.”

“Nice,” said the short-haired brunette. “Where are they eating?”

“C'mon, Jubes. It's Yana and a bunch of guys. It'll be a pizza or hot dog truck, I'm sure.”

“What about us?”

“I like to be able to sit down to eat.” Seeing a huge grin break out on the Asian woman's face, Kitty immediately blushed. “Do NOT make a dirty joke out of that, Jubilation!”

Jubilee laughed over her shoulder and kicked off, accelerating forward quicker than Kitty could keep up as she headed toward Nico and Laura.

“JUBILATION!!”

—O—

**THE NEXT MORNING**

Illyana was careful to not wake Kitty up on their day off. The wedding was only three days away, and it had been well after two in the morning when Jubilee and Dani brought Kitty back to the school. They had all fallen asleep in a dollar movie theater watching _Moana_ , and all three of them were fighting a case of the giggles by the time they managed to get through the front door. The lock had put up a valiant fight against Kitty, with the stalemate broken only when Kitty phased them through the door.

Illyana had put Kitty into the shower with most of her clothes removed, then she had taken Dani to a guest room in the faculty wing. She teleported Jubilation over to Patsy Walker's apartment after calling ahead to warn the redhead and her friend Jennifer, because getting punched by a Hulk in the middle of the night was not something high on Illyana's to-do list.

After returning to their home and getting Kitty dried off and into bed, Illyana allowed herself a few hours of sleep before she began her dreaded plans for the next day.

Unfortunately, sleep refused to grace her with its presence, as her mind percolated all night on the task that awaited her.

Finally, at around eight o'clock, Illyana sighed, gently released Kitty from her embrace and carefully slid out of bed. She quickly showered and dressed, going through Kitty's closet (well, both closets were Kitty's, pretty much, but Illyana did have some clothes in one of them, so Kitty insisted on calling it Yana's) before selecting a sleeveless lavender shirt, a red blazer and a knee-length patterned skirt. She looked at Kitty's jewelry stand for a moment before she carefully removed a necklace featuring an upside-down triangle with a rainbow pattern, a gift she had gotten Kitty for Pride Month. She smiled as she looked into the mirror, placing it on her neck and closing the clasp.

She looked very different than usual as she considered her appearance for the day. Looking like this, she could very well be a college student or a young professional dressed for work, nearly the opposite of her usual provocative attire. But this task was important, and it was worth being a bit uncomfortable for a few hours.

She quietly walked into the living room next to their bedroom, closing the door behind her. She pulled out her cell phone and checked the marker she had placed on the map application several days ago. She focused on the location first, then she flicked to the picture from the street-view camera. She closed her eyes, took several calming breaths, and then disappeared into the blue-white gleam of a stepping disc.

An invisibility spell concealed the glow of the stepping disc as it manifested on the sidewalk in front of a small house in New Hampshire. Illyana checked the house and the number on the mailbox to verify she was at the right place, then synced her phone to verify she hadn't accidentally traveled in time as well, due to how anxious she was about this meeting. When she was satisfied she was at the correct place and same time, she put her phone back into the small black purse she was carrying today.

She _hated_ dressing this way, conforming how she looked to what others thought or expected. But it was a sacrifice she was willing to make for something this important.

She quickly walked up to the door. There were lights on inside the house, so he hoped the woman she was looking for was awake. Without further hesitation, she pressed the button for the doorbell, hearing soft chimes ring through the house.

The next few seconds seemed to last forever. Illyana nervously shifted back and forth in the wedge sandals she was wearing, something else she had borrowed from her girlfriend. Them wearing the same size in most clothes had been a blessing over the years, and even now Illyana could wear almost everything of Kitty's except for the tightest shirts and some of her bras.

The door opening yanked Illyana's attention away from the comforting tangential thought process it had slipped into.

“May I help you?” asked the middle-aged woman, her frame pleasantly pear-shaped, framed and offset by her classic (and expensive-looking) top and slacks. Her dark brown hair, shot through with tasteful highlights, was carefully coiffed despite the relatively early morning hour. A frown drew across her mouth as she looked Illyana up and down, then looked over her shoulder. “We don't allow solicitation in this neighborhood,” she said stiffly. “I'll report you to the homeowners' association if you don't—”

“Ms. Pryde,” Illyana said, trying to keep her voice calm. “It's... been some time since I've seen you.”

Theresa Pryde looked confused for several seconds, the soft crows-feet forming at the corners of her eyes flexing softly as she examined the strange blonde girl standing on her front porch. Then her brown eyes widened and the hint of a smile appeared on her face. “...Illyana?” she asked, uncertain but then smiling, politely if not enthusiastically, when she got an affirmative nod from the Russian girl.

“My God, how long has it been?” Theresa said, her attitude less hostile but still not exactly forthcoming. “Ten years?” She stepped aside, hovering as if she wanted to give the young woman a hug but was unsure if she should do so. She also looked to each side on the porch.

“I'm alone,” Illyana said.

“How did you find me?”

“It... took some effort.” _And a scrying spell or two._ Illyana turned partway, looking at a few people walking or jogging in the distance. “I've come to speak to you about something very important. May I come inside, or would you prefer that we speak out here on your porch for all your neighbors to see?”

The brief flash of annoyance that crossed the older woman's face told Illyana she had hit her target, and it took more effort than she had expected to keep from smirking at the woman who had cast her only daughter out for being a mutant.

Wordlessly, the woman stepped aside, opening the door for Illyana.

“Thank you,” the Russian said as she smoothly stepped into the foyer and stopped, waiting for the other woman to close and lock the door behind her.

Illyana noted Theresa looked pointedly at the charm dangling from the necklace she was wearing as she stepped around the Russian woman. “Would you like coffee or tea?” asked the older woman, stepping toward another room.

“Only if they are already prepared,” Illyana replied, taking a few steps to where she could watch Theresa move about in a kitchen. “I would prefer you not go to any trouble for me.”

“I'm already on my second cup,” Theresa said, tossing a weak smile over her shoulder as she retrieved a plain red mug from a nearby cabinet.

“Then coffee would be fine,” replied Illyana. “Nothing in it, please.”

Theresa poured coffee from the carafe into the mug, then carried it over to Illyana, who politely took it. When Theresa turned to pick up her own mug from the counter, Illyana surreptitiously cast a simple detection spell over the mug with a flick of her right index finger. Satisfied all was benign, she lifted the cup to her lips and tested the temperature.

“Please, have a seat,” Theresa said, gesturing to a small table in a sitting area next to the kitchen.

Illyana nodded as she took her seat, taking a sip of the coffee as well. Quite good, rather strong, pleasantly bitter.

“So,” spoke the older woman, who carefully placed her mug on a trivet sporting a picture of a bird of some sort. “Why are you here, Illyana?”

Illyana placed her mug down on another trivet. “You have not replied to the wedding invitation,” she said calmly.

Theresa looked surprised. “You're getting married?” she asked, unsure once more.

Illyana nodded. “In less than a week. You were sent an invitation several months ago, but you never replied.”

“Why would you send _me_ a wedding invitation?” asked Theresa, a slight note of annoyance in her tone.

“Because,” Illyana said calmly, pausing to take a sip of her coffee. “I'm marrying your daughter.”

There was complete silence in the small sitting room for several seconds. Illyana was prepared to teleport the coffee mug out of Theresa's hand should the woman try to throw it or the coffee in it at her, but other than a slight twitch across the woman's left temple, she remained unmoving, continuing to examine Illyana carefully.

“I am well aware of what has transpired between you and Katya,” Illyana said, remaining vigilant. “I was the one who held her those nights she cried herself to sleep after you cast her out.”

“You took advantage of her,” Theresa said coldly.

“Nyet,” Illyana hissed instantly. “No. I did not. Katya and I had already been... involved with each other long before you threw your only daughter out of your life for being a mutant. I did not and would never take advantage of Katya, emotionally or otherwise. I love her far, far too much to do that.”

Theresa looked into Illyana's bright blue eyes, and the younger woman could see tears threatening to form in the eyes of the older woman. “How... how long?” Theresa managed to ask. “How long have you...”

“Since we were both thirteen,” Illyana replied calmly. “I have never loved anyone but Katya the way I love her.”

“The two of you came to the old house several times,” Theresa said, a tear trickling down her cheek. “Did you—”

“I came here to ask that you attend our wedding,” Illyana said, cutting the woman off. Going into the number of times she and Kitty had made love in her childhood home (and it was not a small number) was only going to complicate the situation further.

“I haven't spoken to Katherine in over ten years,” Theresa said sharply. “Why on _earth_ would I attend her wedding?”

Illyana kept the expression on her face carefully neutral. “Because you are her only living parent,” she said calmly. “And because it would make an already special day even more special for her.”

“Why are _you_ the one asking me this?” Theresa said.

“Because there is nothing I wouldn't do for her,” Illyana said truthfully. “If you choose to reject the invitation, then I would rather you reject me than her. Katya has made as much peace as she can with you walking out of her life. I don't want anything upsetting her further this close to the wedding, because she already is balancing far, far too much.” She took another sip of her coffee, longer this time as she composed her thoughts.

“While Katya does not expect you to be at the wedding, we _did_ send you an invitation in the mail several months ago.”

“I have any mail from Katherine intercepted at the post office,” Theresa said sharply. “I don't want to be part of her world, of _your_ world... of _freaks_.”

“And I would prefer her not have anything to do with a shallow, angry, petty, bigoted woman who is slowly growing more spiteful, more bitter and more resentful, all alone,” Illyana replied, her voice calm but laced with a hint of steel. “But as I have said, you _are_ her mother, and I know it would mean a great deal to Katya if you were to be there on her wedding day.”

Illyana placed her left hand on the small table, palm up. A bright stepping disc briefly flared in her palm, fading after less than a second to reveal a manila envelope.

“I have already purchased a round-trip airline ticket for you to New York City. It leaves in two days and returns two days later. I have also reserved and paid for a room for you at the Marriott Marquis at Times Square, for the same days. I've also put forty dollars in here for cab or subway fare, so you can come to the wedding at no cost to yourself.”

“It's not a matter of money,” the older woman sneered.

Illyana looked at her for a few long seconds. “I know that. I simply don't want there to be any excuses as to why you couldn't come to your daughter's wedding,” she finally said. “Whether you attend or not is up to you, but I know it would mean a great deal to the woman I love to have her mother there as a witness.”

Illyana placed the coffee mug back on the trivet she had been using, then she stood up slowly. She said politely, “If you decide to come, the hotel will know how to get in touch with us to arrange transportation to the wedding and the reception.”

The woman stood reflexively as well, swallowing as she seemed to contemplating what, if anything, to say in reply.

Illyana began to walk to the door, with Theresa trailing behind her. Just before they reached the door, Illyana stopped and turned. “I do have one more thing to say to you, Theresa,” the blonde said calmly.

“Oh?” replied the older brunette.

“I intend for the day of our wedding to be everything Katya has ever wanted. She would like for you to be there, but if you're uncomfortable with being around us, our friends or our students, then I suggest you either stay home or quietly leave without making a scene.”

Illyana stepped forward until she was just inches away from the slightly taller woman. “Because I will NOT tolerate ANYONE insulting or belittling the woman I love on our wedding day.” Illyana allowed her eyes to glow red for a little over a second before they returned to their more usual pale blue; she was pleased by the sight of Theresa withdrawing slightly, fear crossing her face.

“Thank you for the coffee, Theresa,” Illyana said sweetly, smiling before she turned and teleported out of her future mother-in-law's home.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. One more chapter, with the wedding itself and then a little look down the road at what the future might hold for these two. Kitty's right; Illyana does love her old-school heavy metal. Kitty goes more for Whitney Houston, Heart, Adele and 90s pop, in case you were wondering (but she has been known to rock out to Garbage and Kelly Clarkson when no one's watching).
> 
> Thanks for reading, and hope you're enjoying so far!


	3. I Now Pronounce You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to thank KittyViolet and Magik3 for explaining the different connotations for the diminutives Ilya and Yana for the full name of Illyana; specifically, as I understand it, the more correct diminutive for Illyana would be Ilya, with Yana being more of an Americanization. I am clearly NOT a Russian speaker, and I appreciate the clarification! As such, I'll explain why Kitty refers to her as Yana in my story, because in general I don't like retconning things. 
> 
> I have also learned a LOT about Jewish weddings and ceremonies for this story. I do not and will never claim to be an expert on this subject, but it's amazed me to learn about the intricacies not only of the rituals of the traditional ceremony but also the language involved. Reading about many different approaches to incorporating these traditions and rituals into a same-sex ceremony has been quite eye-opening. I hope that Kitty and Illyana's ceremony does justice not only to the two characters, but also to the rich faith that is important to Kitty and to millions around the world. I sincerely hope no one is offended by Kitty and Illyana incorporating parts of a traditional Jewish ceremony, because they're doing it out of respect and love (and so am I).
> 
> This is a big chapter. Just warning you.

 

_Looks like we made it_

_Look how far we've come now baby_

_We might've took the long way_

_But we knew we'd get there someday_

_They said, I bet they'll never make it_

_But look at us holding on_

_Still together, still going strong_

_You're still the one I run to_

_The one that I belong to_

_You're still the one I want for life_

_You're still the one that I love_

_The only one I dream of_

_You're still the one I kiss goodnight_

 

\--Shania Twain, “You're Still the One”

 

—O—

 

**THE DAY OF THE WEDDING**

 

“Jesus, Kitty, stop fidgeting!” Rachel Grey snapped at her friend as she tried to get the brunette to stop pacing around the small trailer that had been set up for Kitty and her bridesmaids.

As it was, only Kitty's phasing ability had kept her white wedding gown from snagging and tearing on something as she walked back and forth, over and over, inside the small air-conditioned trailer set up on the lawn of the original Xavier School for Gifted Children in Westchester. Though no longer in use, the property was still kept up, and Kitty and Illyana had felt that no place would be more appropriate for their wedding than the very place where they fell in love.

“I'm sorry, Rach!” Kitty said harshly. In less than two hours, the wedding would be over, and Kitty Pryde would be Kitty Rasputin. “I-It's just, we barely had time to finish the rehearsal last night, due to us getting back late from that Pride parade in Russia, and then the dinner didn't go right, because the caterer had totally ignored our requirements with kosher and vegan choices, and, and then the tents weren't the right size, and—”

“Hey.”

Kitty stopped abruptly at the sight of Jubilation Lee standing in front of her, her expression so fierce that her eyes were on the verge of turning red. “Um... Hey?” she said weakly.

“Chill the hell out, Kitty,” Jubilee said. “Seriously. Or I'm going to have Elixir sedate you or something.”

A stricken look crossed Kitty's face as something occurred to her.

“Oh, Jesus...” Rachel said, rolling her eyes and turning her back to Kitty and Jubilee.

“Jubes, if you're here already, then who's watching the guests?!” Kitty said frantically. “H-How do we know that someone that shouldn't be here hasn't snuck in? I thought you were—”

“I was. I am. Until Rachel psychically let me know that you were about to work yourself up into a fit, and that I needed to come on in here and get ready.” The woman with short jet hair sighed. “Look, it was me or Laura. Which one of us do you think would be the better choice to try to calm you down?”

“She's watching the crowd?” Kitty asked, her nerves not exactly improved.

Jubilee nodded. “Don't worry, babe. Between Laura and Nico, they'll make sure no problems slip through. Forget yesterday. This day's going to go smooth as clockwork.”

—O—

“Yeah, we're old teammates of Kitty!” said Peter Quill.

Despite his best charms and offering his brightest smile, the Guardian of the Galaxy was having no success getting past the dark-haired Laura Kinney, wearing a simple black evening dress (albeit barefoot) and her equally raven-haired girlfriend Nico Minoru, wearing a gothic lolita masterpiece of a dress that somehow combined a corset, yards of black satin and tulle and more laces than the shoe section at a department store.

“You're not on the guest list,” Laura replied flatly. “And you have no invitation.”

“I'm trying to tell you, Quill,” grumbled Rocket, standing beside the human. “This is not one of your better ideas. And even your better ideas ain't that good.”

“Shut up, Rocket,” Peter said quickly to the side.

“I am Groot,” rumbled a large tree-like creature standing behind the man and the raccoon-like biped.

“Yes, he _is_ embarrassing himself,” agreed Rocket. “Just give it up, Pete,” the smaller mammal said, tugging on Quill's pant leg.

“No! We came a really _really_ long way to be here for this, because she's an old teammate of ours!”

“Look, Peter,” Nico began. “I'm not sure why you're not on the list, but—“

“Probably because you're an old boyfriend of hers!” said Rocket, a bit gleefully. Watching Quill squirm was more entertaining than he wanted to admit.

“OH!” said Nico, her lips puckering into an O-like shape.

“That answers that question,” said Laura grimly. “Old boyfriends are definitely not allowed today.”

“But Colossus is in there!” Peter said, gesturing toward Piotr Rasputin, wearing a formal tuxedo as he chatted with some of the guests already present on the lawn of the old original Xavier School.

“Colossus is here because he's the brother of one of the brides. That's the only reason, and that was a fight in itself,” Laura said, her patience nearly gone.

Nico stepped forward, desperately wanting to avoid bloodshed today if at all possible. “Okay, last time,” she said firmly. “You're not on the list, Peter. Sorry. I can't tell you why you're not on the list. You'd have to take that up with Kitty and Illyana. BUT you're not going to take that up with them today. It's their fucking wedding day. Have some respect. Send 'em a card or something.”

Nico turned around and moved back behind the reception table.

“Look, I just wanted to tell her I'm happy f—”

The unmistakeable sound of adamantium blades snapping into position stopped Quill's words in his mouth, as he looked down at a very annoyed Laura Kinney, her claws now extended and her arms lightly curled in anticipation of a fight.

“Don't get any blood on your dress, hon,” Nico said quietly.

“You can magic it out,” Laura said flatly, her eyes locked with Peter's.

“Yeah, good point,” replied Nico.

“Okay, it can wait,” Quill said, quickly turning and walking away, nearly tripping over Rocket in the process.

“Jeez, Quill!” said Rocket. “Have some respect for your teammates!”

As Peter and Rocket walked away, the tree creature who was Groot gave a slow but friendly wave to Laura and Nico. The two women politely waved back. Then Groot turned and plodded after his friends.

“Traveled all this freaking way and can't even talk to her...” Quill could be heard saying as he was walking away.

“I tried to tell you this was a stupid idea,” added Rocket, his voice carrying more clearly.

“I am Groot.”

“Yes, a tasteful card congratulating them _would_ have been a better idea. You just can't tell humans anything.”

“I am Groot.”

“Angela!”

Rocket and Groot stopped and looked ahead as Peter stopped to talk to Angela; the tall, powerful redhead was dressed in a form-fitting set of armor made of gleaming silver, and holding her hand was a lovely shorter woman who had straight shoulder-length hair of jet black and bright eyes of blue-gray in a shining white full-length gown. Standing behind them was a young woman who appeared to be just out of her teens, with long, straight black hair that fell halfway down her back, dressed in a shimmering green sheath of a dress.

“What're you doing here?” asked Quill, surprised to see his teammate and doubly surprised to see her with others.

“We were invited,” said the shorter jet-haired woman, a cutting smile on her face.

“Sera, my love,” said Angela, her long red hair blowing loose in the morning breeze, “these are some of my fellow Guardians. Peter Quill, Rocket, and Groot,” the tall redhead said, indicating each member with an open hand. “Guardians, I am honored to introduce my mate, the lovely Lady Sera, and our daughter, Leah.”

Angela and Sera moved aside to allow the petite girl with long, straight black hair and piercing green eyes to step forward, taking her place beside them. The girl smiled, but there was a sadness in her eyes that seemed immune to the expression on her face. Beside the young woman, a creature that looked somewhere between a wolf and a large dog stood, smoke and flickers of flame licking out from its maw as it yawned lazily.

“It's a pleasure to meet you, ladies,” Peter said smoothly, bowing and moving to take Sera's hand formally, only to stop a bit awkwardly when Sera refused to extend it to him.

“Only my wife or my family gets to kiss me,” Sera said calmly. “That extends to my hands, too.”

Peter smoothly smiled and retracted his hand, ignoring the very audible cackling behind him. Rocket wasn't the best at subtlety. “When did you two have time to raise a daughter?” he said, turning to the dark-haired young woman.

“It's a long story,” said the girl, who extended her hand and allowed Peter to politely kiss her knuckles. “Nice to meet you, but we should probably get to our seats.” There was a glum quality to her voice, a sadness that seemed to saturate each word she spoke.

“Leah,” said Sera gently, and there was a softness in her tone that sounded thoroughly parental. “You didn't have to come for this, dear, truly.”

Tears threatened to spill from the young woman's eyes, and quickly she stepped forward and leaned against Sera's chest. Immediately she was surrounded by not just Sera's arms, but also Angela's, who had turned and stepped closer to her wife and daughter to hold them both gently in her powerful arms.

The girl nodded against Sera's chest, ignoring the tears and eyeliner that would smudge her mom's gown. A bit of magic would remove the stain once they were done crying. “I had to be here,” she said, her voice sad and strained. “It's not her, but part of it _is_ her, you know? And I want her to be happy.”

“We know far too well, sweet girl,” Sera murmured, rubbing Leah's back comfortingly.

“We're proud of you, Leah,” Angela said, her normally powerful voice gentle and soothing. “You're a brave young woman. We're here for you, whenever you need us.”

Angela leaned her head against Leah and Sera as she held them both, her white and gold ribbons flowing through the air around them as if they were also embracing the small family. Angela glanced up, her solid white eyes meeting the gaze of Peter, Rocket and Groot. “We need a moment, please,” she said, her voice quiet but firm.

“Sure, sure,” Peter said, stepping back. “Let us know if we can help, okay?”

“Of course,” Angela said quietly. Quill meant well. He truly did. He just didn't know when to stop sometimes, a trait possessed by most inhabitants of Midgard.

Rocket met Angela's gaze and nodded once. His own expression was sympathetic, which the Angel knew was impossible for him to fake. She smiled softly at him and bowed her head slowly in a gesture of both respect and thanks. The creature could be difficult to read at times, but he was always honest in his emotions.

A creaking noise made Sera open her eyes to see Groot towering over them as he carefully wrapped the three of them in his stiff but gentle embrace. “I am Groot,” he said slowly, his voice barely more than a rustle of wind through leaves and branches.

Sera smiled and closed her eyes again, as even Angela fought back tears at Groot's heartfelt statement. Sera reached up and patted one of Groot's branches lovingly. “You're a gem, Groot,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “We love you, too.”

—O—

“You know, I don't think I've ever seen a bride look so sexy and so terrifying at the same time,” said Dani Moonstar as she adjusted one of the leather straps between the choker around Illyana's throat and the top of the blonde's black wedding dress.

“That does seem to be my thing,” Illyana said, smiling as she looked at herself and her old teammate in the full-length mirror, the satin black of her gown and the bright yellow of Dani's toga-like dress contrasting with a visual pop. “Sexy and scary.”

Dani nodded. “You do it well.”

The sleeveless dress was elegant, a shiny black silk that fell just below her knees with slits along both sides to allow easy movement, with a top that stopped partway up her chest, enough to show the just the top of her breasts without being audacious or salacious. The back of the gown stopped just above Illyana's waist, leaving her back bare other than two slim braided straps that began at the sides of her hips and ran upward to attach to the gown's choker-style neck. Two more slim braided straps ran upward from the top of the dress in the front, traversing her collarbones to meet the thick black choker neck. Attached to the choker was a small silver pendant in the form of her and Kitty's sigil, the only form of adornment found on the gown.

A soft knock at the door of the dressing trailer being used by Illyana and her mixed crew of attendants drew the attention of Roberto, Sam and Doug, who were milling around the open space where the men's side and the women's side met in the center of the trailer. (Warlock was busy being Doug's suit). Sam looked at the others briefly before going to the door and opening it.

In the women's dressing area, Dani, Xi'an and Amara were all standing around Illyana, all of them happy to have a peaceful reason to be together again. It had been Amara's suggestion to use simple toga-inspired dresses of yellow for the bridesmaids to go with the black for the bridesmen, incorporating the two colors they had all worn for years as part of the New Mutants. Xi'an had added a black and yellow garter and ribbon over her prosthetic leg, highlighting the mechanical limb rather than hiding it. The men had black tuxedos with yellow vests and accents to match the color scheme, resulting in a striking appearance with them all together.

Soft tapping on the door to the women's section made the four women stop adjusting dresses and tweaking at hair.

“Hey, ladies, Yana?” came Sam's voice, opening the door slightly.

“Only Katya gets to call me that,” Illyana replied, raising her voice a bit before softening it again. “When she does it, it reminds me of when I first met her, and how adorable she was, and how hard she tried to make me feel welcome and loved. When anyone else does it, it's being a lazy American.”

Sam winced a bit. “Okay, point made. Anyway, ya'll got room for one more in there?”

Dani looked at Illyana. “Were we expecting another?” she asked.

Illyana shook her head at Dani. Dani moved to the door, her strong shoulders and arms accentuated by the toga's minimal top. She opened the door to reveal a small woman with very short, nearly shaved red hair, looking upward at the Native American with a look that mixed apprehension and hopefulness. “R-Rahne...?” Dani whispered.

The small Scot smiled, eyes wet with tears as she mumbled, “Is it too late?” with a voice that was hesitant and unsteady.

Dani blinked against the burning she felt in her own eyes as she held out her arms to let the slight woman throw herself against Dani's stronger frame. “It's never too late,” Dani whispered as she hugged Rahne tightly, right before the two of them were wrapped in a joint embrace made up of women behind Dani and men behind Rahne (and a metamorphic pair of techno-organic arms hugging everyone at once).

“I... I know ye prob'ly don' want me here—” Rahne began, her weakened brogue currently intensified due to her nerves, only to be cut off by Dani stepping back and being replaced by Illyana, whose ice-blue eyes were wet with tears.

“Of course I want you here,” Illyana said, her voice just above a whisper. “You were my teammate, and you were my friend.”

Rahne's lower lip quivered briefly. “But... but I was so horrible to y' then! I said such things...”

Illyana gently took Rahne's upper arms, holding them carefully. “That wasn't just you speaking those things, Rahne. It was also all those people who raised you, who had forced that ugliness and bigotry into your head.” Illyana smiled softly. “Just like the man who raised me forced things into _my_ head, into _my_ thoughts, that I never wanted either.”

Illyana stared into Rahne's eyes, and even now she could see regret and shame in the diminutive Scot's eyes. “You have suffered so much, Rahne,” Illyana said, her voice as soft and soothing as she could make it. “SO much. More than I ever did, and for much longer. Let us help _you_ heal, now.”

As thoughts of her forced slavery, the manipulation of her emotions, the experimentations performed on her, the birth and loss of her son, abandoning her teammates, her friends and even her own child overwhelmed her, Rahne broke down and cried. Dani quickly stepped forward and gathered Rahne into her arms once more, the others still in the group hug surrounding them.

“We're going to be here for you, Rahne,” Dani whispered against the Scot's short red hair. “I'm going to be here for you. We're your friends, now and always, no matter what.”

Rahne turned and wrapped her arms around Dani's neck, pulling close to her oldest friend. “I'm so sorry, Dani,” Rahne said, only to be hushed by Dani's soft shushing. “I've ruined so many lives...”

“I will always be your friend, Rahne,” Dani whispered into Rahne's ear. “No matter what.”

“A-and... what if... I want... more?” Rahne whispered back, so softly that Dani wasn't even sure Rahne _meant_ for her to hear it.

Dani smiled back. Because she loved Rahne, she would never take advantage of her, and with Rahne's perilously low self-esteem, what Dani was about to tell her had to be worded very carefully. “Then we can explore that later, after you've had time to heal, to recover, to find out what you _really_ want in life. Right now you need stability, to find yourself again, and I'll be by your side the whole way. As your friend now, and as whatever we might grow to be in the future.”

Dani felt Rahne squeeze her tightly, unable to say with words what she was trying to tell her emotionally. And then, she _felt_ it, in her head, in a way she hadn't felt in years: _I love you. Thank you for accepting me, after everything._

Dani smiled, no longer focused on fighting back tears and allowing them to come freely. Instead, she thought, _I will ALWAYS accept you. Because I love you too._

Slowly the bridesmaids separated themselves and stood, after a few heavy minutes. Illyana was the last to step back, leaving just Rahne and Dani holding each other where they stood. The two of them slowly separated and turned to face Illyana.

“You're going to be one of my attendants today,” Illyana said to the Scot, and the tone of her voice told Rahne that it wasn't a request.

“B-but m' dress!” the Scot said, plucking at the simple floral summer dress she was wearing.

Illyana reached out and touched the thin fabric with her right index finger. A spark of magic flashed into the dress, instantly turning it into a rich shade of yellow that matched the others. “Problem solved,” the Russian said smugly.

“Does that work with makeup, too?” said Amara, wiping at her eyes and the remnants of her eyeliner and mascara.

Illyana smiled.

—O—

“Almost time,” said Ororo, smiling with pride as she looked at Kitty in her wedding dress. It was all white silk and organza, the bustier top stopping below her collarbones and leaving her shoulders and arms bare while the skirt billowed out over her legs. The matching silver sigil for her and Illyana had been carefully sewn into a white lace choker that was around Kitty's throat, exposed and on display with her chestnut hair carefully done up and braided.

She and Illyana had ignored tradition and already seen each other earlier that day, when the bridal parties had spent several hours taking pictures around the grounds of the old Xavier School campus. It had been a unique experience, seeing the now-unused grounds and building that brought back a torrent of old memories for everyone involved, making the tedium of taking picture after picture more of an enjoyable experience for everyone, other than crickets getting in Amara's and Dani's dresses when they posed for photos in a section of long grass.

Kitty thought that her favorite pictures had been the ones the photographer had taken of her and Illyana in their old dormitory room. There had only been room for the two of them and the photographer in the small room anyway, but Kitty wouldn't have wanted anyone else in any photos taken there anyway. It had been her and Illyana's safe space, where they had become friends, fallen in love and dreamed of a future together in a world that would hopefully accept them. The room was mostly empty of furnishings now, but the familiar outlines and windows were more than enough for her and Illyana's minds to fill in the rest of the details from their teen years.

Now in only minutes the music would begin. Everyone was in position, the guests were mostly seated, and despite all she had been through over her life, Kitty was frazzled with anticipation and nerves.

“Thank you for making sure the weather cooperated,” Kitty said to Ororo suddenly, blurting out anything to break the cycle of worry her mind was threatening to spill into.

Ororo smiled. “I honestly didn't have to do a thing,” she said. “The weather itself wanted this day to be perfect for you.” She looked stunning in her sunflower yellow gown, her dark skin contrasting the bright color in a way that words couldn't do justice.

“You're going to be fine, Kitty,” said Jubilee, now in her own yellow dress. “Nice choice of colors for your bridesmaids, by the way,” she added with a smirk. “Almost makes up for this being a daytime wedding outside.”

“Stand still,” Rachel said, adding a bit more SPF 100 sunscreen to Jubilee's neck and back. “We don't want you bursting into flame during the ceremony.” She wasn't as pleased with the yellow of their dresses, but she was willing to put up with it for Kitty.

“Lin Li helped out with the animals, too,” Jubilee added, referring to her student who had chosen the name Nature Girl. “Li's a sweet kid.”

“I noticed she now feels comfortable enough to speak sometimes,” Kitty said. “That says a lot about you as a teacher and mentor, Jubes. We all thought she was mute until you got her to open up.”

“Jubilee's grown a lot,” added Patsy Walker, in her own yellow dress. Unlike Rachel, she had pulled off wearing yellow as a redhead for years, so she had no problem with the bright color. She and Jennifer Walters had met Kitty through Jubilee over a year ago, and the two of them had had Kitty, Illyana and Jubilee over several times since then. “Being a mom has really been good for her.”

Kitty had asked Jen to be a bridesmaid as well, but the attorney had politely declined, stating that someone needed to keep Jubilee's son Shogo during the ceremony. Kitty was fairly sure it also had to do with Jen still mentally and emotionally recovering from nearly dying at the hands of Thanos, but neither her nor Patsy had spoken about that as a possible reason. It was what it was, and Kitty was just happy that Patsy and Jen were both alive and able to be there for the wedding.

Doreen Green walked over and smiled at Kitty. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl had been ecstatic when Kitty had asked her and her squirrel friend Tippy-Toe to be bridesmaids, and the bright yellow ribbon around Tippy-Toe's neck had been carefully dyed (using eco-friendly dyes) to match the color of the bridesmaids' dresses. “I'm happy for you, Kitty,” Doreen said.

Kitty and Doreen had met through Roberto's U.S.Avengers team, hitting it off immediately over their mutual love of computers and programming. Doreen and Tippy-Toe had known Kitty the shortest amount of time of all her bridesmaids, but with the new Xavier School being in Central Park, the two of them wound up spending a significant amount of time on the school's campus on weekends and after Doreen's classes were over. They had both immediately embraced Illyana not just as Kitty's girlfriend but as a friend of their own; that had been a touching gesture the Russian wasn't used to, and it had made a strong impression with Illyana and Kitty both.

“Thank you, Doreen,” Kitty said, smiling slightly up at her friend. “And thank you too, Tippy-Toe,” she added, reaching out and gently scratching the squirrel on her head.

Tippy-Toe chattered happily as she lifted her head into the scratching.

“She says that she's never been a bridesmaid in a human wedding before,” Doreen said pleasantly, pausing for another brief chitter. “And that it's her honor to be here with you for this.”

“The honor's mine as well,” Kitty replied proudly.

The last bridesmaid stood beside the window, staring outside at the large gathering of people now seated or moving toward their seats. Her green skin made for an intriguing contrast with the yellow dress, particularly with her neck exposed and her black hair done up into an updo to match the other bridesmaids.

“You're awfully quiet, Gamora,” Kitty said, walking over to the tall woman. “I know you hate wearing dresses and aren't a big fan of Earth, but I appreciate you being here for this.”

Gamora turned and looked down at her former teammate. Her eyes slid over Kitty's face and gown before she allowed herself a tiny smile. “You look very... formal,” she said. “Elegant, I suppose.”

Kitty smiled. “High praise,” she said, teasingly. “I know I wasn't with the Guardians for very long, but you were a good friend to me, even when you thought I was another annoying Earther.”

Gamora took Kitty's hand, carefully holding it in her own with a tenderness that belied the fact that she could crush steel in that same hand. “You _were_ an annoying Earther,” Gamora said quietly, getting a soft laugh from Kitty. “But you were also brave, intelligent and trustworthy.” The green-skinned woman took a moment to admire Kitty before continuing. “You earned my respect as a warrior, and as a leader. And... you earned my friendship as well.”

Kitty stepped forward, carefully hugging arguably the most lethal woman in the universe.

“I am honored to join this team of your bride-maids,” Gamora said quietly. “Even if I will be quite relieved when I can finally remove this Earth garment.”

“Too rough on your delicate skin?” asked Kitty, trying not to mess up her hair as she leaned against her friend.

“Exactly. It itches.”

—O—

As the music swelled to life, people started to quieten somewhat. There were still a few making their way to their seats, and the classical music continued for a few minutes to allow those guests to be seated. It made for quite a sight, with a few of the guests present wearing their usual superhero outfits (like Spiderman, his wife Spinneret and their daughter Spiderling), but most of them dressed in civilian clothes ranging from simple, like Luke Cage and Jessica Jones, to formal and elegant, like Janet van Dyne and Stephen Strange. Even Victor von Doom was present, attired in a stylish tuxedo and seated beside Nico Minoru, Laura Kinney and Gabrielle Kinney.

Some changes had been made to the traditional Jewish ceremony, following a discussion between Kitty, Illyana and the rabbi they had asked to perform the ceremony. The rabbi who had led Kitty's synagogue growing up would have been her first choice, but he had died a few years ago. As a result, Kitty had asked the rabbi for the synagogue she currently attended in Manhattan to perform the ceremony, explaining that it was going to be an unusual ceremony to say the least, and he had gladly accepted.

Despite tradition, Kitty had been insistent that there be no _chuppah_ canopy for the ceremony. She and Illyana had already started building their home together over a year ago, and as such Kitty felt there was no need for the traditional wedding canopy to symbolize that concept. Illyana had already presented Kitty with her ring with their betrothal months ago, but without two witnesses as customarily required. Illyana had offered to do it again in the presence of witnesses, but Kitty had firmly (and loudly) stated it had been an incredibly sweet, heartfelt proposal and that she wasn't going to take the ring that meant so much to her off her finger just so Illyana could present it again in front of others. Eventually Illyana wound up conjuring an image of the moment from her and Kitty's memories, showing it to the rabbi and their wedding planner, and the rabbi had deemed that as fulfilling the requirement for witnesses.

The _ketubah_ , the formal marriage contract between Kitty and Illyana, had been signed that morning, in the presence of the rabbi, Dani and Ororo. They had spent several weeks getting it just right, in terms of wording and appearance before the final copy had been printed in preparation for signature. It had turned out to be fairly equal in terms of pledges and commitments, which was exactly at how Kitty and Illyana had wanted it.

Some of the ceremony had been streamlined, eliminating the bride circling the groom (or other bride, in this case), although Illyana had insisted on keeping the ceremony of breaking the glass; she understood the importance of recognizing sorrow and loss even while embracing love and joy, and she and Kitty had decided to both perform the ceremony together when the time came.

The rabbi made his way to the front of the assembly, standing in front of the simple wooden arch Lin Li had assembled from fallen sticks and branches, as the music began to change, rising in intensity and changing tune. After a signal from the rabbi, the attendants began to file in.

First came Roberto daCosta, walking with Doreen Green and Tippy-Toe. They were all smiles as they steadily paced down the simple grass of the aisle between the rows of folding chairs, each chair covered with a sheath of white fabric.

Next to enter were Doug Ramsey (still wearing Warlock) and Gamora, both looking properly formal other than the occasional sensor or head extruded from Doug's black jacket, as they slowly made their way down the aisle. Gamora was still wearing her regular boots; she was willing to wear the movement-restricting dress, but she had drawn the line at the ridiculous footwear the Earth women were wearing.

After Doug and Gamora came Sam Guthrie and Jubilee, both smiling as Jubilee held Sam's elbow proudly while they entered. Her sunscreen was holding up nicely despite the warmth of the sun, and Sam was careful to take shorter steps to match Jubilee's shorter legs.

Amara and Patsy came next, with Amara smiling and taking Patsy's arm as they walked down the aisle together, a gesture that caused a light titter of laughter to quickly spread throughout the assembled guests.

Xi'an and Rachel followed them, with Xi'an likewise taking Rachel's arm rather than the other way around. They proudly smiled and walked down the aisle, Xi'an's mechanical leg handling the uneven terrain as smoothly as they had practiced the night before. Rachel was prepared to use her telekinesis to steady Xi'an should she stumble, but it proved unnecessary.

Dani and Ororo stepped into the aisle, but then Dani turned to looked behind her. Hesitantly, Rahne stepped forward in her newly yellow dress, taking Dani's hand. The shorter woman blushed as she did so, and Dani knew that the two of them had much to talk about later after the wedding, but for now the two of them chastely held hands as they stepped forward, meeting Ororo.

The older woman and former headmaster of the Xavier School looked surprised momentarily before she quickly recovered and smiled at her two former students. “I'm glad you're here, Rahne,” Ororo said before she and Dani turned to face the crowd and the rabbi waiting down the aisle ahead of them, with Dani taking Ororo's arm with her right hand while continuing to hold Rahne's hand with her left. The three of them fought to restrain their racing hearts, Ororo's due to the unexpected surprise of the entire New Mutants team being represented here today and Dani's and Rahne's for reasons even more full and complicated. Together the three of them began their slow walk down the aisle toward the wooden archway marking the centerpiece of the ceremony. It was a moment of loveliness, elegant and traditional as the entire assembly breathlessly waited for the two brides.

Last to enter were the flower girl, Gabby Kinney, and the ringbearer, Lockheed. The tiny purple dragon perched upon Gabby's right shoulder, the two brassy wedding rings, crafted from the same mystical blend of metals as Kitty's engagement ring, tied to his tail by soft yellow ribbons. Gabby slowly walked down the aisle, tossing petals that had been collected from flowers that had donated them after being asked politely by Lin Li. The result was a collection of petals encompassing a multitude of varying hues and shades that stood out on the otherwise plain grass.

—O—

Illyana walked out to the song “Devil's Child.”

—O—

There was some momentary confusion in the crowd about whether or not they were supposed to stand as Illyana slowly walked forward in her black dress, her blonde hair straight, long and loose and her hands free, but the guests collectively came to an agreement to stand by the time Illyana was halfway down the aisle, which the Russian woman found endlessly amusing.

—O—

When the rock music stopped and the powerful strains of the traditional wedding march began, every set of eyes in the assembly turned to see Kitty walk in.

Like Illyana, she walked alone; her father was long dead, and her mother, dead to her.

She smiled as she carefully held her bouquet, such as it was. It consisted of just four long-stemmed flowers, a red rose, a yellow rose, a white rose, and a strikingly unusual flower with a long back stem, a rose-like bloom and petals that seemed to smolder as their colors shifted from red to orange to yellow like the embers of a fire. The red rose represented the romantic love between Kitty and Illyana, the yellow rose the love of their friendship and the white rose the innocence and purity of their feelings for each other; the other flower, which Illyana had named the ember rose, was a magical flower the blonde had cultivated in Limbo over the last decade. Today it stood for the mystical part of their relationship, both their soulbond and an indication of how Limbo was now a second home to both of them, forever bound not just to Illyana but to Kitty as well.

But from the moment she stepped into the aisle by herself, Kitty's eyes were fixed squarely upon the woman she loved, standing ahead of her, her long, straight blonde hair shining in the late morning sunlight, looking and smiling that radiant smile that she only ever shared with Kitty.

This was real. This was finally happening.

Kitty began to walk down the aisle, smiling despite the tears escaping from her eyes.

She had lost herself along the path of her life, more than once. Sometimes it had been because someone had pushed her off the path, other times it had been her wandering off due to curiosity or infatuation, and a few times she had just deliberately walked away from what had always felt easy, what had felt comforting, what had felt _right_ , and she had no reasons for why she had done something like that. And sometimes there had been no choice at all _but_ to leave that path, when she had chosen to sacrifice herself to save others, to save everyone. To save THE one, the woman she would always love. Because Illyana deserved to live, to find happiness, even if that meant Kitty had to die for her.

And now, despite everything that had pulled them apart over the last decade and a half, Kitty got to _live_ for her, for the only person who had ever made everything feel right in her world.

Kitty never looked away from Illyana as she quickly walked the length of the aisle, notably faster than they had practiced. Only a hint of a smile reflected in an upturned corner of the blonde's mouth, but to Kitty it was clearly obvious that Illyana found her bride's eagerness as adorable as it was funny.

As Kitty took Illyana's hand, shifting her bouquet to her right hand, the two of them looked at each other. “I think I've wasted enough time over the years,” Kitty whispered to her best friend, who looked back at her with bright blue eyes brimming with their own tears of happiness, and as Kitty continued, her voice grew louder. “I want to be your wife _now_. I want to say these vows, make these pledges, in front of our friends and the family we've made for ourselves, and then I want to dance with you, and I want to cut into our wedding cake with you, and I want to be able to tell everybody that I'm Katherine Anne Rasputin, wife of the beautiful Illyana Nikolievna Rasputin.”

Illyana smiled and lifted Kitty's left hand to her lips, gently kissing it. “Then we should get on with it, I suppose,” the blonde said pleasantly, which prompted a soft wave of laughter from the guests and attendants.

The two of them looked at the middle-aged rabbi, who politely nodded back toward them. It was unusual for him to do so little at a wedding, but he understood that this was no ordinary wedding on many levels. He had grown to like the quiet, shy but intelligent Kitty since the Xavier School had relocated to New York, and he had been honored when she and her girlfriend had asked him to officiate their wedding.

“We are here today to witness the union of Katherine Anne Pryde and Illyana Nikolievna Rasputin,” the older man said, a happy smile on his face. With a friendly voice, the dark-bearded man continued, “Today's ceremony mixes elements of the traditional Jewish marriage with a more interfaith ceremony. Some of the most important parts of the marriage have already occurred prior to this ceremony, including the proposal and the _ketubah_. The proposal has already been made, with the engagement ring offered by Illyana and accepted by Katherine as part of their betrothal. The _ketubah_ has been agreed upon and signed by both brides, affirming their pledges and their commitments to each other and to their union. Now our two brides will recite their vows to each other and exchange rings as another lasting symbol of their union.”

As Kitty handed her slender bouquet to Ororo, Illyana took both of Kitty's hands and held them as they turned to face each other. Lockheed quickly flew behind the rabbi, hovering in front of Dani so that she could untie the ribbon holding Kitty's ring. The ribbon holding Illyana's ring to Lockheed's tail had a thin black strip looped around it, so they could tell the two similarly-sized rings apart. Once Dani had the correct ring for Illyana to put on Kitty's finger, Lockheed quickly flitted behind the rabbi to Ororo, so she could retrieve Kitty's ring for Illyana.

“Katherine Anne Pryde,” Illyana said, her voice surprisingly calm despite the emotions swirling inside her. “I love you with all of my body, with all of my heart, with all of my mind, and with all of my soul. All that I have, I give to you. I will love you, protect you, care for you, respect you, support you and stand by you forever. Will you have me for your wife?”

Kitty's eyes blinked several times, trying futilely to shed the tears that kept coming. “Yes,” she said firmly. “I will.”

Illyana carefully took Kitty's left hand and slid the wedding band on her finger. “With this ring, I hereby take you, Katherine Anne Pryde, as my wife. For now, for forever, I am bound to you as you are bound to me, joined in body, mind and soul by our love for each other.”

Kitty shivered as she felt the new ring throb to life on her finger, with a matching pulse from the engagement band adjacent to it. The two rings were the same color, both made from the same blend of metals and blood from both of them, although the etchings on the wedding bands didn't appear quite as intricate as those on the engagement ring.

Before Illyana could retract her hands, Kitty grabbed them with both of her own, holding and squeezing them as she beamed, staring into her beautiful bride's blue eyes for long seconds. During that time both of them sniffled, smirked and smiled at each other as they just held each other's hands while they battled for control of their emotions.

Finally Kitty relaxed her grip, wiping at her eyes with the fingers of her right hand. She very nearly apologized out of habit for crying, just stopping herself when she remembered Illyana telling her last night that any tears during the wedding would be tears of joy, and as such they should be celebrated, not regretted. She felt the warmth deep inside her, the sensation of love and understanding that came from Illyana through their soulbond, and she savored it as she sent as much back toward her mate as possible.

She shook as she tried to calm herself. Unfortunately, Illyana's own unsettled emotions weren't helping much at the moment.

“Breathe,” she heard whispered behind her.

_Ororo. Bless her._

Kitty took a deep breath, taking it in, slowly letting it out. She looked at Illyana, who simply stood there in front of her, trying to remain fairly still despite her own internal jitteriness. But before she could speak, she felt a nudge against her left hand, followed by a light swell of laughter from the wedding guests.

Kitty looked down to see Lockheed, adorable in his yellow bow, hovering next to her hand as his little wings fluttered rapidly. Held carefully in his maw was Illyana's ring, a semicircle of the brassy metal visible where it poked out of his little mouth. “Thank you, Lockheed,” she said with a smile as she opened her hand, letting the little dragon carefully place the ring in her palm before he flew back behind Kitty, perching on Ororo's shoulder this time.

Kitty looked back up to see Illyana, tears running down her cheeks, smiling with pride at her. “We—” she began, only to stop abruptly before taking a breath, focusing on Illyana's now-curious eyes, and beginning again. “We're not the typical married couple,” Kitty said. “And that's okay. We are who we are, and I love who we are.”

She reached out and took the fingers of Illyana's hands, lifted them up as she held them in her own grip. “Illyana Nikolievna Rasputin,” she said, trying to enunciate clearly despite the tightness in her throat, “I love you with all of my body, with all of my heart, with all of my mind, with all of my soul. All that I have, I give to you, as you have given to me. I will love you, protect you, respect you, care for you, support and stand by you forever.” She smiled through the tears both of them were crying. “W-Will you have me for your wife?”

Illyana smiled and squeezed Kitty's hands. “I will,” she said. “Forever.”

Kitty let Illyana's hands go, opening the clasped fingers of her own right hand so she could retrieve Illyana's wedding band. She lifted Illyana's left hand and looked into her bride's glistening eyes as she said, “With this ring, I hereby take you, Illyana Nikolievna Rasputin, as my wife. For now, for forever, I am bound to you as you are bound to me, joined in body, mind and soul by our love for each other.” She slid the ring on Illyana's ring finger, feeling the surge of magic beneath her fingertips as the ring settled into place around Illyana's finger.

“I love you,” Kitty breathed out.

Illyana blinked and smiled. “I love you too,” she replied softly.

The rabbi said, “One of the most lovely parts of the wedding ceremony is the _sheva brachot_ , the seven blessings. First I will read them in Hebrew, then again in English.”

Kitty and Illyana held each other's hands as they stood facing each other while the rabbi read the phrases they had carefully worded after many nights of discussion, with Kitty reciting them softly from memory as the rabbi spoke. Illyana watched with joy as Kitty smiled and shook while she whispered the words, her eyes closed, the happiness visible on her lover's face more beautiful and priceless than anything the Russian had ever seen.

Kitty had been surprised when Illyana had told her months ago that she had worked on a set of _sheva brachot_ for the two of them for years, back when they were teenagers. Unfortunately, all of her writings about them had been lost, either in an attack on the school, one of their many moves, or just disposed of after Illyana had died. But she had remembered the spirit, the essence of each of them, and starting from there the two of them had crafted their own version of the seven blessings over the last few months.

It had been harder than either of them had thought, simply because both of them wanted to be honest and truthful. Illyana didn't follow the Jewish faith, no matter how much she might respect it and honor it, and she felt it would be dishonest and disrespectful to Kitty's faith for her to pretend or pledge otherwise. Kitty's initial reaction was surprise, until she realized that Illyana was being completely open and honest. This was important enough, their wedding and the _sheva brachot_ sacred enough, that what they said had to be true and applicable to both of them. To do anything less would be facetious and disrespectful.

The rabbi paused for a moment as he finished the recitation in Hebrew. Kitty's eyes opened, and she nearly gasped at the enraptured look on Illyana's face gazing back at her intently, at the devotion and awe manifest in her bride's blue eyes. Devotion and awe for HER.

She had never seen Illyana look at anyone, at anything like that, EVER. Except her.

“And now, in English,” said the rabbi, “the Seven Blessings.

“We are thankful for the gift of joy, and for the joy we find in committing ourselves to each other.

“We are thankful for this day, for this world, for this creation, in all its glory.

“We are thankful for all life, human, mutant, alien and all others.

“We are thankful for those who gave life and love to us and for all those who spread love and happiness to those around them. May we likewise bring love, happiness and life to others.

“We are thankful for our friends, our families and those who care for us, and for being with them once more.

“We are thankful in our commitment to each other, and we pray our union brings us great joy through our friendship, our companionship and our love.

“We are thankful for love, and we pray that our happiness and joy overflows so that all may experience it,” the rabbi finished solemnly.

“I am thankful for you,” Illyana said tenderly, staring into Kitty's brown eyes.

“And I'm thankful for you,” Kitty replied, her entire body quivering with nervous energy.

There was a pregnant pause for a few seconds before the rabbi picked up an empty champagne flute, holding it up so those in attendance could see it.

“The final part of the ceremony is the breaking of the glass,” he said. “For the Jewish people, this symbolizes the destruction of the Temple, as well as the persecution and losses suffered over the millenia. For today's ceremony, the breaking of the glass also symbolizes the persecution and deaths of tens of thousands of others who have been persecuted—mutant, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary, all precious and deserving of life and love.”

The rabbi handed the champagne flute to Kitty, who solemnly took it and placed it lying down on the ground in front of her and Illyana as the rabbi continued. “This act reminds us that even in our moments of joy and happiness, we must always remember the losses and suffering all of our peoples have experienced, to temper our moments of rejoicing with the memories of our shared sorrows.”

Quietly Kitty and Illyana both stepped onto the thin-stemmed glass, Kitty with her white flats, Illyana with her short black boots. The glass snapped and crunched beneath their feet while tears now leavened with sadness and remembrance dripped from the faces of both women.

The assembly was quiet other than the crunching of the glass and scattered sniffles and inhalations of breath, as those throughout the assemblage of guests thought about what had lost, about who had been lost, leading up to this day.

Kitty and Illyana both looked up, turning to face each other. Illyana's hands immediately went to the sides of Kitty's face, holding her carefully, tenderly as she leaned forward to kiss away the trails of Kitty's tears, first on her left cheek, then her right. As Illyana pulled back with the salty taste of Kitty's tears on her lips, she saw Kitty's smile beam at her, and it made all the terrors Illyana had suffered, all the losses and pain and anguish, feel like it had been worth it.

For Kitty, it was exactly the same. They had lived for each other. They had died for each other. They had grown apart, and they had found each other again. But most importantly, they had found _themselves_. Illyana had found herself before Kitty ever did, because the quiet, introspective Russian had always been better at cutting through the bullshit and self-delusions. For Kitty, it had been a longer process, but she had finally realized that who she truly was, the person at her very core, was the woman who loved Illyana.

It was that simple.

The rabbi raised his voice after the period of silence. “Friends, family, honored guests, I now present you Illyana and Katherine Rasputin!”

The crowd surged to its feet, cheering, clapping, shouting and whistling in a delirious, joyous wave of noise and praise, with more than a few cries of _“Mazel tov!”_ thrown into the mix

Illyana and Kitty both surged forward so quickly that they nearly cracked their foreheads together as they kissed, breathing each other in as they did so. Kitty's left arm curled around Illyana's waist while her right hand cradled the blonde's left cheek; Illyana's arms both encircled Kitty's torso, holding her wife to her tightly as they kissed madly, deeply, their minds only conscious of each other's touch, of each other's smell, of each other's taste at that long-awaited moment.

When they finally parted, they gazed into each other's eyes, both smiling uncontrollably.

“I'm your wife,” Illyana said, as if she was having trouble believing it.

“Yes, you are,” Kitty said smugly. “And I'm your wife. We started this over a year ago, you know. Building a home together.”

Illyana smiled. “We started this _fourteen_ years ago,” she said, gently correcting Kitty. “In that very room up there,” she said, pointing toward the large mansion nearby and one specific window on the third floor.

Kitty smiled and turned to look at that same window, resting her head on Illyana's shoulder as the two of them held each other. “So we did,” she said happily. “God, we were smart back then.”

Illyana laughed, the sensation rich and thrilling against Kitty's head and chest. “ _Da_ , we were,” she said as she kissed her wife's dark hair.

—O—

The moments immediately after the ceremony's ending were a blur to Kitty and Illyana. It was traditional for the newlyweds to be given a brief time alone with each other immediately after the ceremony, known as _yichud_ , and for Illyana and Kitty, there was only one location here that would work for the two of them.

As they opened the door to their old room on the third floor, they gasped as they saw that the room had been dusted and swept. The tiny beds were bare and covered with thick plastic and the room remained mostly empty, but a small table had been set up next to the window, with a plate of food, a large glass of water and a single large glass of wine placed on the table, napkins covering the glasses and the plate. Two small stools sat next to each other, and a single glowing light hovered in the air over the table. Their two old beds had been moved together, something they had talked about doing many times when they lived here but never had the courage to do because of all the interruptions that tended to occur.

“It's everything we ever wanted,” Kitty said softly, firmly gripping Illyana's hand as they took in the sight. “To be open with our relationship, to not hide anything.”

“Yes,” Illyana replied, her voice raspy as emotion welled up inside her again, as much from Kitty through their soulbond as her own. She looked once more around the room, then she slowly walked to the small table, where she extended her free hand toward the floating light. “Pixie did this,” she said carefully, feeling the magic in the soft white glow. “I can feel her resonance.”

“She's forgiven you,” Kitty whispered in Illyana's ear as she watched and felt her bride struggle mightily with guilt and emotion, only to be overcome and start sobbing. Quickly Kitty gathered Illyana into her arms and held her tightly, letting her wife cry while she whispered soft _I love you_ s and _I've got you_ s to the blonde.

“I was a monster to her,” Illyana mumbled.

“And now you're trying your best to make up for that,” Kitty said. “You'll never do anything like that ever again, will you?”

“No,” Illyana said weakly against Kitty's shoulder.

“I've done some pretty terrible things in my life, too,” Kitty said. “I killed people. I ran from those who needed me. I...” She swallowed. “I abandoned my best friend. I left the woman I loved.”

“You didn't rape someone's soul,” Illyana argued, her voice rising. “I did to her what was done to me. I... I perpetuated the cycle.”

“And now you're going to stop it,” Kitty said firmly. “And Pixie knows that. She knows that you regret what you did, and that you'll never do it again.”

“But it doesn't fix what I did to her.”

“No. She has to learn to live with it, just like you.”

Illyana lifted her head up but continued to hug her wife tightly, looking over Kitty's shoulder at the empty walls, where posters and pictures should have been. “We were so young then,” she said sadly, knowing Kitty would understand they had changed subjects.

“Yeah,” Kitty agreed quietly. “We were.” She sighed. “And since then we've had our hearts broken, and we've broken the hearts of others. We're hurt others and been hurt by others. But we're still alive, Yana, and now we have to make up for lost time.”

“You're the only one who gets to call me that now, you know,” Illyana said, wiping her eyes.

Kitty smiled back. “I know. Thank you for letting me call you Yana. I know it's not the proper shortening of your name, but...”

Illyana kissed Kitty's nose, getting a soft laugh. “It was the playful name you first called me, long ago. And for me, that alone makes it special... and worth saving for you.”

Illyana sighed before leaning her head on Kitty's shoulder as Kitty did the same with her, the two of them just standing, swaying softly to a silent rhythm between them. “We have to live each day fully,” the blonde said quietly before placing a soft kiss on Kitty's neck just below the white choker. “For there's no guarantee of the next,” she added somberly.

Kitty leaned back enough to look in her lover's blue eyes. “Breaking the glass reminds us that in joy, we must remember sorrow. But the converse is true, too. When we're sad, we must remember the happiness we've experienced, as well as the happiness that we _will_ experience in the future.”

Kitty carefully stepped back, holding out her hand to lightly pull Illyana forward. “Come on,” she said with a smile. “I know you're starving. Let's eat something in peace while we can, because we've got a whole lawn full of people who want to see us soon.”

Illyana smiled and let Kitty guide her to the table, when they both sat. Kitty slid the platter holding the plate of grilled chicken, potatoes, asparagus, apples and zucchini over to them. “It's still warm,” she said, a bit surprised.

“Another charm,” Illyana said, feeling the warmth of the heating magic. “What's that?” she said, pointing to the edge of the platter, where it looked like a piece of paper was sticking out.

Kitty looked at it. “I don't know,” she said. “It looks like an old piece of notebook paper.”

Illyana lifted the platter, and Kitty slid the visibly old piece of paper, with elegantly looping cursive handwriting visible beneath a Post-it note, toward them.

“Oh my God,” Kitty said, holding the paper in place on the table with her left hand while her right hand flew up to cover her mouth.

Illyana looked over at the paper, reading the Post-it note first: _Found this under the bed when we moved them together. We all thought it was pretty fitting. Thought you two might like to keep it. D._

“Dani,” Illyana whispered as she removed the small yellow note, revealing columns of different combinations of the same names written in cursive: _Katherine Pryde Rasputin. Katherine Anne Rasputin. Kitty Rasputin. Kitty A. Rasputin. Kitty P. Rasputin._ Finally the writer seemed to settle on _Katherine Anne Rasputin_ , as it was repeated several more times, the flourishes waxing and waning with each repetition.

Illyana looked up at Kitty, who once again had tears trickling from her eyes. “You practiced signing your name with my last name?” she asked, amazed.

“I-I-I did,” Kitty said, a bit breathlessly. “I hid it, because I didn't want you to think I was presuming too much, that I might be pressuring you into something in the future.”

“I think it's adorable,” Illyana said with a grin, hugging Kitty again.

Kitty lifted the paper, and a grin crossed her face. “Piotr caught me doing this,” she said, as if she was admitting a secret.

Illyana's eyebrows raised as she carefully took the paper from Kitty. “Really?”

Kitty nodded. “Of course, he assumed I was thinking of _him_ when I was writing it. Little did he know I was thinking of a _different_ Rasputin making me her wife...”

Illyana looked into Kitty's eyes for a few seconds before she suddenly giggled. It was so unexpected that it made Kitty do the same, which in turn caused both of them to start laughing. Kitty stepped forward, carefully putting her arms around Illyana so as not to fold or bend the paper the blonde was holding.

“The _yichud_ is a great idea,” Illyana said pleasantly, smiling as she basked in Kitty's embrace.

“Mmm, I agree,” replied the brunette. “And we're not having sex in here. At least not during the _yichud_. It's tacky.”

Illyana looked the slightest bit offended when she pulled back enough for Kitty to see her face.

“Don't even act like you weren't thinking it,” Kitty said, trying not to grin. “I felt it through our bond. My underwear's already in danger of a flash flood with the feelings we're tossing back and forth, but I distinctly felt where you were going with that last comment.”

“Oh, did you now?” Illyana asked.

“Uh huh. When certain parts of me start to tingle, I know you're thinking about what you want to do with them.”

“Well, that's a handy skill to have.”

“As if you don't feel it too.”

“Why aren't we having sex now?”

“Because as easy as it would be to get these dresses off, getting them back on would suck. Plus the _yichud_ isn't about having sex. It's about remembering that today is all about us, to give us the chance to catch our breath and just focus on each other between the wedding and the reception.”

“Oh.”

Kitty looked dubiously at Illyana. “Please. You already knew all that. You're just teasing me.”

Illyana smiled, and for a moment Kitty saw that same adoring smile on the face of the girl she had fallen in love with fourteen years ago. “You're cute when you explain things,” Illyana said. “I enjoy hearing that little teacher tone in your voice.”

“Mmmm, good thing,” Kitty said as she sat in Illyana's lap. “You're going to get to hear it for the rest of our lives, and then for whatever comes after that.”

Illyana smiled as she wrapped her arms around Kitty, who leaned her head forward and pressed her face into Illyana's blonde hair. “I'm looking forward to it,” Illyana said tenderly.

—O—

After quietly settling at the table, eating the plate of food and drinking some of the wine and all of the water over the next fifteen minutes, the two brides made their way back down to the reception.

The DJ for the reception was playing a remix of one of Alison's songs when Kitty and Illyana stepped into the large open reception area, with the stage that had been assembled in the center of the large lawn already filled with dancers to the point of being crowded. It only took a few seconds before the guests realized the newlyweds had returned, leading to cheers and happy shouts erupting through the assembly as the dance music stopped.

“Ready for our first dance?” Kitty asked, taking Illyana's hand and leading her up to the stage.

“I do not like dancing,” Illyana said flatly. “But for you, I'll do it.”

Kitty turned and flashed a bright smile. “You say the sweetest things, babe,” she said playfully before leading Illyana up the shallow ramp up to the stage.

As they reached the stage and moved to the center, facing each other and smiling, the low notes and softly-spoken words at the start of Shania Twain's “Still the One” began to play from the speakers. Kitty and Illyana began to slowly sway back and forth, both focusing tightly on each other, Illyana doing so to keep from feeling self-conscious and Kitty doing so to keep Illyana's thoughts on her and not them dancing.

“I love you,” Kitty whispered as the song played on and others began to join in around them.

Illyana looked back at her, staring into those gorgeous brown eyes. “I love you, too,” she replied, leaning her head forward and resting it against Kitty's left shoulder.

They danced that way for the rest of the song, only slightly moving as they took comfort in each other, an island of just the two of them in a sea of their friends. There were many smiles and looks of happiness directed their way as the dance continued, but Illyana and Kitty only had eyes for each other as they held each other closely, barely moving as they grinned and kissed during their first dance as wives.

When the song finally ended, applause rolled across the dance stage as everyone stopped to cheer the new couple.

“This is a bit overwhelming,” Illyana said quietly, her lips brushing Kitty's ear.

Kitty's heart soared; for Illyana to admit being uncomfortable was highly unusual, and Kitty was proud that she was one of the handful of people to whom Illyana was comfortable admitting such feelings. “Let's move over to the side,” she replied back to the blonde. “They're supposed to be dancing for us, anyway. It's our wedding. They can entertain us for a while.”

The smile Illyana gave her in return was illuminating. “I like that idea,” the Russian woman said, resting her head on Kitty's shoulder again.

Keeping her arm around Illyana, Kitty led them off the slightly-raised stage and over to the small table and chair that had been set up for them, off to the side with an unobstructed view of the dance stage. They each took their seats so guests could take turns coming up and speaking to them, offering congratulations, wishes for the best, and occasional advice.

“Always remember how much you love each other,” Steve Rogers told them. “And always be faithful and loyal.”

“Sometimes people need space when they get angry,” offered Bruce Banner. “There's nothing wrong with that.”

“Be honest with each other,” said Deadpool. “No matter how embarrassing, humiliating or demeaning.”

(“Did you invite him?” asked Kitty after he had shaken their hands and walked back toward the dessert table.

“No, I thought you did,” answered Illyana.)

“Always remember to back up your hard drive,” said the holographic image of Tony Stark, projected by Ironheart's armor.

“I'm, uh, just happy to meet you both,” said the altered but young-sounding voice that came from the red-and-gold armor, slimmer than they were used to seeing in an Iron Man suit. “It's pretty awesome that you're getting married. Congratulations.”

“Always be yourself,” offered Paige Guthrie, currently sporting long, curly blonde hair in a pink ballroom gown.

Jonathan the Wolverine didn't have any advice to offer when Gabby set him on the table in front of Illyana and Kitty. He just looked curiously at the two brides for several seconds before gobbling most of Illyana's piece of cake.

“There's always more cake,” Nico Minoru told them, having to raise her voice to be heard over Jonathan's whining and growling as Gabby carried him away. “Material things are just things. They come, they go. Don't lose sleep over them.”

Laura Kinney smiled as she held her girlfriend. “Never lose sight of what's truly important in your lives,” she added. “And always be ready to fight to defend it.”

There was a brief pause in the stream of well-wishers before Illyana felt Kitty suddenly grab her thigh through her dress and squeeze it nervously.

“What is he doing here?!” Kitty hissed quietly.

Illyana looked up to see Peter Quill hurrying toward them, leaving a trail of shocked expressions in his wake. Rather than stand to intercept Quill, or use a stepping disc to teleport him away, Illyana simply sat back and waited, a confident smirk on her face.

“I _swear_ I did not invite him!” Kitty said hurriedly, turning to Illyana. “I told them to not let him—” She stopped short at the surprisingly relaxed look on Illyana's face. “Hon?” she asked, more than a bit confused by Illyana's calm demeanor. “Yana, if you're going to kill him, please teleport him away first. I'd like to keep these dresses for our daughters to wear one day.”

Illyana turned to look at Kitty, surprise on her face. “Would you still want to have children with me?” she asked, barely daring to hope. “Even after all I've done?”

Kitty immediately forgot about Peter Quill. She lifted her left hand to Illyana's right cheek and smiled when the blonde woman nestled her face against Kitty's soothing touch. “I wouldn't ever want to have children with anyone _but_ you,” she said softly.

Peter Quill made it within twenty feet of the two brides before the very air in front of him crackled and flashed violet; a deep reverberating rumble like thunder rolled through the air as Quill went flying backwards, all of his nerve endings stinging and hissing as if he had been mildly electrocuted.

The sound and flash of bright color next to them pulled Kitty's gaze away from her wife. “What was that?” she asked, watching at Peter twitched once on the ground before groaning and slowly sitting up.

“An anti-Peter ward,” Illyana said quietly, still smiling. “On our sigils.” She reached up and gently lifted the silver sigil that signified her and Kitty together that was hanging on Kitty's wedding gown. “My way of making sure that he didn't cause trouble today.”

Kitty gave her a mildly disappointed look, which only made Illyana laugh.

“It's not going to hurt him unless he keeps trying to pass it,” Illyana said, before she became serious. “I wasn't going to let anyone try to steal you away from me,” she said carefully, looking at her wife worriedly. “I know that you wouldn't choose to go with him, Katya. I _do_ know that, and I trust you. Please don't think otherwise. But we _have_ had to deal with our friends and teammates being captured before, as you remember.”

Kitty's expression was inscrutable for a few seconds before she smiled softly. She took Illyana's hand and lifted it to her lips, kissing it gently. “You were trying to protect me,” she said lovingly.

Illyana smiled back, still a bit hesitant about how she hadn't told Kitty about the ward beforehand. “I was,” she admitted softly. “I was trying to protect us both.” She added her other hand to where she and Kitty's hands were clasped. “I think he's probably a good person, from what I've heard about him, but I also think he's impulsive and doesn't always think things through.”

“I can't argue with you on any of those points,” Kitty said. “I'm sorry I ever left Earth. I—”

“I'm not sorry,” Illyana said, smiling at the look of surprise and the feel of the same emotion she felt flash through their connection. “Because it made you realize your place was back here.”

Kitty smiled at the blonde again. “With you.”

“Well, it took a BIT more time for you to _fully_ remove your head from your ass.”

Kitty gasped playfully. “Illyana Rasputin, did you just tell me that I had my head up my ass?” she asked, teasingly.

Illyana grinned. “Why, yes, _Kitty Rasputin_ , I just did. We _do_ have to be honest with each other, after all.”

Kitty's brown eyes closed, and she smiled dreamily. “Oh God, you just called me Kitty Rasputin,” she said softly. “And it's true.” Her eyes opened again, and her smile seemed to Illyana like it could light up the entire world. “It's really true. I'm your wife.”

“Yes,” said Illyana, lifting their clasped hands to her lips so she could kiss Kitty's knuckles. “And I'm yours.”

An audible crackling drew their attention away from each other. Standing just over fifteen feet away, his hand out and fingers extending as he carefully probed the limits of the ward, stood Peter Quill. A few wisps of smoke still rose from his jacket and pants, and it took him a moment to realize that Kitty and Illyana were both looking at him.

“Oh, hey!” he said, waving at them and getting nonplussed looks in return. “I, uh, just wanted to let you both know that I was, you know, happy for you both.” He swallowed. “I really am.” He looked at Illyana. “Kitty's happier here,” he said. “She tried, when she was with the Guardians, and she was a great teammate, but I don't think she ever really felt comfortable out there.”

“I wasn't,” Kitty said, loud enough for Quill to hear. “Something was always missing. Something inside me, that just felt... empty.”

She turned back to Illyana. “And I finally figured out what it was I needed to feel whole. To feel complete.” She smiled. “I figured out WHO I needed.”

Quill smiled. “I'm glad for you, Kitty,” he said. “And for you too, Illyana, even though we really don't know each other. If Kitty loves you, then you must be pretty special yourself.”

The stinging of threatened tears was entirely unexpected for Illyana, and she had to devote some concentration to keep them from escaping. It was more than a bit annoying... but also surprisingly touching.

“She is,” Kitty said, speaking for both of them. “Thank you for telling us that, Peter.”

“You're welcome,” Peter said, lifting a hand in a wave goodbye. “If either of you ever need us, the Guardians'll be there for you.”

“Thanks,” Kitty said.

“Thank you,” Illyana added, surprising herself a bit.

As they watched him walk away, Kitty quietly said, “Now aren't you glad you didn't kill him?”

“Mostly,” Illyana replied quietly.

Kitty turned to look at her wife, only to be met with a knowing grin.

“You're so easy sometimes,” Illyana said.

Kitty blushed a bit. “Only for you,” she added softly.

—O—

As the dancing continued and the guests ate and celebrated, several others came to greet the newlyweds, offering their congratulations.

“I hope your lives together are magical, in only good ways,” said Dr. Stephen Strange.

“Doom extends his blessing upon your union,” Victor von Doom said regally, receiving polite nods and thanks from the two brides.

“I always had my suspicions,” said Jean-Paul Beaubier, also known as Northstar, smiling and holding hands with his husband Kyle Jinadu. _“Toutes nos felicitations!”_

“Congratulations, Kitty-Kat, Magik,” said Ben Grimm in his deep, rumbling voice. “You two are plumb adorable together. Hang on tight and don't ever let go.”

“We won't, Ben,” Kitty said, tears in her eyes. “Thank you.” She was about to get up when Ben leaned over the small table between the two of them and him, wrapping his massive arms around them where they were sitting and hugging them carefully.

—O—

Viv Vision looked at the two of them curiously for a few moments, her young synthezoid face captivating as emotions flitted across her features as expressively as any human. “I have found romantic expressions and gestures toward males lacking in emotional feedback,” she finally said with a low voice; her ruddy skin coloration made it difficult to tell for certain, but Kitty would have sworn that the synthezoid girl actually blushed slightly. “Did the two of you experience the same discrepancies in regard to stimulus analysis of heterosexual contact before choosing to pursuing a homosexual relationship with each other?”

“Oh,” said Kitty, a bit surprised.

“Mmm,” Illyana murmured at the same time.

“Well, actually...” Kitty quickly said. “Illyana and I were each other's first... well, everything. First kiss, first love, first relationship, first time having sex.”

Viv's head tilted slightly as she regarded the two women. “I have not had sexual intercourse,” she replied simply. “I have kissed two different males with reciprocating glossal penetration of the oral cavity. Neither response was particularly notable. I have not yet pursued activities more intimate than kissing and embracing.”

“There's plenty of time for you, Viv,” Kitty said pleasantly. “Don't feel like you need to rush things.”

“But I do advise kissing a few girls,” Illyana said, a knowing smile on her face. “After all, you never know how you're going to react until you try it.”

“A valid suggestion,” Viv agreed with a nod. “I have already considered that course of action. Perhaps I will act on it sooner rather than later, and carefully analyze my cognitive and emotional reactions afterward.” She looked at the happy couple again. “Thank you for your suggestions,” she said with a smile. “And my best wishes on your ongoing romantic relationship and new civil union.”

“Oh, hey, Viv!” said Kamala Khan as she stopped beside her fellow Champion. “Saying hi to the newlyweds?”

Viv turned to looked at her teammate and friend. “I was, in addition to discussing romantic relationships with them. I feel they represent a valuable source of advice given the particulars of their relationship.”

Kamala grinned at Kitty and Illyana, oblivious of the way Viv was scrutinizing her profile. “That was a really cool wedding!” Kamala said eagerly. “Thank you for, uh, thinking of me and inviting me. You two are absolutely _beautiful_ , too!”

“Thank you,” replied Illyana, happy to no longer be at conflict with the young Inhuman and her people.

“Thank you!” Kitty said, a bit louder. “We're so glad you could make it! Yana and I have heard so many good things about you!”

“Same,” Kamala answered with a smile. “I think it's really important, especially right now, for all of us here on Earth, mutant, Inhuman and human, to work on rebuilding our relationships.”

“We couldn't agree more,” Illyana said. “It's far too easy for a few radicals to lead others into violence, particularly when someone feels there isn't much to live for.” She grimaced, then looked up at Kamala. “I can speak from personal experience.”

“Hope's important,” Kamala said, nodding. “And we might as well be the ones who publicly begin the work of building a relationship between mutants and Inhumans.”

Kitty smiled and extended her right hand. “I like you, Kamala Khan,” she said, pleased when the new Ms. Marvel shook it happily.

“I like you too,” Kamala replied, smiling herself. She turned to Illyana. “And it's nice to meet you under more pleasant circumstances... um, Magik? I guess?”

Illyana smiled and took the girl's offered hand, shaking it politely. “You can call me Illyana,” she said. “And yes, I'm glad the hostilities over the terrigen clouds are finished.”

“Kamala,” said Viv as Illyana and Kamala released each other's hand.

Kamala turned to her teammate. “Yeah, Viv?”

Viv looked curiously at Kamala for a moment before her expression brightened and she asked, “Would you be willing to participate in a sensory stimulus-response experiment with me?”

The smile on Viv's face was eager and hopeful, surprising Kamala. “Um, well... yeah, sure, I guess,” Kamala answered. “What—”

The moment the words left Kamala's lips, Viv quickly but gently wrapped her arms around Kamala and kissed her warmly. Kamala's eyes became enormous, almost comically so for the first second or two, before they fluttered closed while the two kissed for several more seconds.

“I... wasn't expecting that,” Kitty said quietly to Illyana as they watched the two girls.

“Speak for yourself,” Illyana replied smugly.

After nearly twenty seconds, Viv and Kamala carefully pulled their lips apart, a soft noise marking the loss of contact. Kamala's eyes inched open to see bright photoreceptors staring into her eyes with a remarkable warmth. “That was...” she tried to get out, but her tongue was having difficulty forming proper shapes or positions for speech, as it wanted to go back to what it had just been doing. “W-wow.”

Viv smiled at the dark-eyed girl. “Affirmative. My emotional and neural response to kissing you was nearly two orders of magnitude higher than I experienced with my attempts at kissing males.”

“Um, yeah,” Kamala mumbled, unable to keep from blushing. “What you said.”

Viv's expression turned inquisitive again. “Perhaps more data acquisition would allow a better heuristic analysis,” she said softly.

Kamala smiled. “Anything for science, right?” she said happily, mentally crossing off _firmly heterosexual_ in her mind and penciling in _possibly bi._

—O—

“We love you both,” said Dani Moonstar, who was still holding Rahne's hand. “Your teammates—and I mean that for you too, Kitty—will always be here if you need us.”

Rogue fought back tears as she carefully hugged first Kitty, then Illyana. “I'm so happy for both of ya'll,” she said, smiling through her tears.

Psylocke offered Kitty and Illyana a rare smile. “I wish the two of you all the best,” she said simply as she grasped their hands.

Hank McCoy stood in front of them quietly for a few minutes, wiping tears as he smiled down at both of them. A few times he tried to speak, but he was too overcome with emotion to produce any coherent words. Finally he just walked around the small table and knelt down next to the two brides, where he gathered them both into his long arms and hugged them both tightly.

“I'm so happy for you,” he managed to whisper raggedly. “And so proud of you both. I am _honored_ to call you both not just my friends, but my family.”

All three of them were crying happily when he finally released them and stood up.

—O—

“Do you think he's ever going to come over?” Kitty asked Illyana after the fourth time Piotr started in their direction only to turn away before he drew close to them.

“No idea,” Illyana said, more than a hint of irritation in her voice.

“He's still your brother, Yana,” Kitty said softly. “He's the only real family you have left. I know you don't consider Mikhail much of anything at this point.”

“Mikhail never had any use for me,” Illyana said flatly. “I had distant cousins in Vladivostok I was closer to than him. But Piotr...”

Kitty held her wife's hand as she watched the emotions play across Illyana's face, felt them toss and turn through her own insides.

“Piotr will never again see me as anything more than the demonic imposter who stole his sweet, innocent little Snowflake and replaced her with a flawed copy,” Illyana finally said with a sigh. “With something broken... and tainted.”

The press of soft lips against her left cheek helped quell some of the inner turmoil Illyana was experiencing. “Then not only is he wrong, he's a fool, too,” Kitty said softly. “Because you _are_ that sweet, innocent sister he remembers, and you're not broken or tainted.”

She smiled as Illyana turned to look at her. “None of us stay innocent. None of us can. We all have to grow up, and he needs to stop sticking his shiny head in the past like some stubborn ostrich. You're here. You're his sister. And either he accepts that and rebuilds a relationship with his sister, or he continues to throw his life away searching for something he'll never find.”

They looked into each other's eyes for long seconds. “I love you, Katya,” Illyana said. “Thank you.”

“You're welcome,” Kitty replied. She looked up. “Oh, speak of the devil,” she said, seeing Piotr heading their way. “Looks like he's finally grown a pair.”

Illyana looked at Kitty with disbelief. “Did you just say what I think you did?”

Kitty grinned. “Yup.”

The sound of mystic electricity crackling and a rumble of thunder washing over their bodies made them both look up in time to see Piotr flying backwards away from them.

Kitty gasped, her mouth coming up to cover her open mouth, and the fact that it was curving into a smile.

“ _Dermo!_ ” Illyana swore in Russian. (Shit!)

Kitty giggled. “I know that word,” she said.

Illyana looked back at her lover. “Yes, you probably do.”

“From the time you burned your ear with the curling iron.”

“I seem to recall saying a few other words like it at the time.”

Kitty leaned forward, puckering her lips out until Illyana kissed them sweetly. “I like you using those words in more pleasant circumstances,” she said softly.

Illyana grinned. “Mm, and I like using them better under those more pleasant circumstances, too.”

Kitty looked to her left, Illyana's right. “Piotr's getting up,” she said.

“I really didn't intend for the wards to keep him out,” Illyana said.

“Suuuure,” Kitty replied, drawing the word out slowly. “I believe you, sweetheart. What is it I've heard you say? A large part of magic is intent?”

—O—

Karolina Dean and Julie Power both looked adorable as they stopped in front of Kitty and Illyana. Karolina was radiant in her light floral summer dress, her blonde hair long and loose as she held Julie's arm. The redhead was wearing a matching halter top and long skirt, both sage green, with an upside-down rainbow triangle dangling from her belly button piercing. They were both smiling, almost giddy with happiness.

“You two are our heroes,” Karolina said, stepping around the table with Julie so they could hug both the brides. “We're so happy for you!”

“What 'Lina said,” Julie added with her own big smile, trading brides with Karolina so they could each hug the other. “When they finally make a movie about your love story, I hope I'm still young enough to play one of you!”

“You're not bleaching your hair,” Karolina said firmly to her girlfriend, lifting her hand to carefully run her fingers through Julie's red curls.

“Ooooh,” Julie replied, her freckled cheeks flushing slightly. “Are you fond of my hair, babe?”

The look that Karolina flashed Julie was smoldering. “I think you're _very_ aware of how hot I think your hair is,” the blonde said as she lifted a lock of Julie's hair to her face and held it to her nose.

Kitty looked at Illyana; they shared a knowing look. Kitty cleared her throat softly, bringing both Karolina's and Julie's attention back down to the two newlyweds. “The mansion up there is unlocked,” Kitty said quietly. “Shouldn't be anybody on the second floor.”

“You might have to knock some of the dust off of the furniture,” Illyana added just as quietly. “Or just do it standing up.”

Julie and Karolina turned to look at each other, both giggling as they grinned and pressed their bodies against each other. Julie turned her head to look at Kitty and Illyana again, leaning forward slightly to quietly say, “When you can both fly, hovering is a valid option.”

Kitty reached her arm out, taking Julie's hand. “Go get some,” Kitty said with a wink and a smirk.

“And thank you for being here for us,” Illyana added. “We expect an invitation when you two make it official.”

“Count on it,” Julie said.

“All the best wishes,” Karolina said, smiling, before the two young women turned and hurried off.

“Hovering,” Kitty said thoughtfully.

Illyana kissed her right ear, being careful not to be too loud. “We've done that more than once, my love.”

Kitty kissed Illyana on the lips. “Oh, believe me, I remember,” she replied.

“Hi,” said a soft, hesitant voice.

Kitty and Illyana looked up to see Molly Hayes and Katie Power standing in front of them. They were both fifteen, faces and bodies still in the process of growing from girls into young women. But the biggest change was—

“You're not wearing a hat,” Kitty said, blinking her eyes at Molly and her thick, long dark brown hair, twisting itself into hints of curls as it fell.

“Yeah,” Molly said, looking a bit embarrassed. “Feels weird.”

“I love your hair,” Katie Power said, her own dark blonde hair now cut quite short. She ran her fingers through Molly's long dark locks.

“We, uh, wanted to tell you guys congratulations,” Molly said, _maybe_ leaning into her girlfriend's touch slightly. “And, maybe... ask you if you might feel like to talking to us about... some stuff.”

“Some stuff?” Kitty said, turning to look at Illyana. She was already suspicious about what “some stuff” meant, and judging from the expression on Illyana's face, she was thinking along the same lines.

Katie's face was turning red as she said, “My sister Julie told us that, uh, you two k-kind of were... _together_ when you were y-younger than Mol and I are,” she managed to get out.

“Correct,” Illyana answered. “Katya and I were thirteen when we became intimate with each other for the first time.”

“Cool,” Katie said, as a smile crossed her face. “It's just, you know, we can't really ask my _mom_ questions about our, uh, our relationship, right?” she said, more a statement than a question. “And asking my sister about sex would just be too weird.”

Kitty nodded, while Illyana just watched patiently. “We'd be happy to talk to you two about anything,” Kitty said. “We really didn't have anyone to talk to about things like that when we were your age.” She looked at Illyana. “It might have been nice, to have adults who would have been supportive. We had to figure everything out on our own.”

“My mom isn't supportive of us being together,” Katie said quietly; Molly quietly put her arm around the blonde and hugged her.

Kitty nodded slowly. “We'll give you our numbers,” Kitty said. “That way you can text or call if you want to ask any questions, or if you just need somebody to talk to.”

“Thanks,” said the short-haired blonde.

“Thank you,” Molly said as well, shaking both Kitty's and then Illyana's hands before pulling out her phone. It only took the two girls a few seconds to program in both new numbers, then they thanked the newlyweds again and hurried off.

“So stronger than Piotr?” Illyana asked, watching the slender, petite brunette with wiry arms and legs walk away.

“Stronger than _Thor_ ,” Kitty corrected. “When her powers are activated.”

“Hm,” Illyana said simply. “We're keeping an eye on her for the X-Men, right?”

“Of course. But she's not going to join us. She loves her family too much to leave them.”

Illyana nodded. “As long as she knows we're there if she ever needs us,” she said. “That we're there for any of them.”

“The Runaways?”

“Yes.”

“I would be completely fine with that,” Kitty said, knowing that the absence of Illyana's parents was painful for her bride today.

Kitty considered her next words before speaking. “Did... you see that my mother was here?” she asked carefully.

Illyana turned and looked into Kitty's rich brown eyes. “I did not,” the blonde said. “But then I couldn't tell you a single person who was sitting in that crowd. My eyes were only on you.”

Kitty blinked a few times. “Thank you,” she said, her voice wet.

“For what?” Illyana asked.

Kitty looked into her wife's blue eyes. “No one else would have asked her to come to this,” she said. “Or maybe threatened her if she didn't come.”

Illyana lifted Kitty's left hand, placing another soft kiss on the knuckles of Kitty's hand before admiring the wedding band nestled against the engagement ring. “Truthfully, I only threatened her if she caused any trouble today. I simply told her that it would mean a great deal to her only child for her mother to be present on her wedding day.”

Kitty blinked against tears again. God, was she _ever_ going to stop crying today? “You were right,” Kitty said, just above a whisper. “It meant a great deal to me.” She started to add more, but then she decided that more words couldn't convey the message any more succinctly. She swallowed, then said, “Thank you.”

“You're welcome,” Illyana said, her senses registering people standing near them, but she continued to look into Kitty's eyes until the brunette smiled and squeezed her hand. “I don't know if I should be sad or glad that she didn't stay to speak to you.”

“Neither,” Kitty said. “What she does isn't your responsibility. I just appreciate you asking her to be here.”

Illyana smiled. “Of course. I knew it would make today a bit happier for you, so I had to do it.”

“You're a good wife,” Kitty said, reaching up to cup Illyana's left cheek with her right hand. “Maybe one day I'll have a relationship with my mother again, but _you_ , Illyana Rasputin, are my family now, and you're all the family I need.” Kitty got a devilish look in her eyes. “Until we have children.”

“That's twice you've mentioned that subject,” Illyana said, trying to ignore the way her heart began to race at the thought of holding their daughter, of seeing a head full of dark curls peeking out from beneath a carefully tucked blanket at night, of sitting down at a table with Kitty and two young children, one with unmanageable brown hair and another with straight blonde hair. Or maybe one with blonde curls and one with straight mahogany hair. Or maybe three, each with different hair but all with dark brown eyes filled with mirth.

“Come back to me, _moya lyubov_ ,” Kitty said gently, smiling when she saw blue eyes focus on her again, now filled with wonder. “We have time, Yana,” Kitty said calmly. The excitement inside her wife was palpable to Kitty, jumping and jittering through their soulbond. “I'm not trying to rush you, I promise. But yes, one day I want us to have babies.”

“I would love that,” Illyana said. “But I—”

Kitty hushed her by quickly kissing her on the lips. “I think you'll be a great mom. But we've just gotten married, so let's wait _at least_ until the honeymoon to start trying to make a baby.”

Illyana's blue eyes danced as she looked at Kitty. “That... would be acceptable,” she managed to get out, surprised at how difficult it was to put words together at the moment.

“Hey, look at Spider-Man's family!” Kitty said, pointing at the trio walking toward them.

“How do you know it's his family?” asked Illyana.

“Well, the matching costumes are a big hint,” Kitty said.

“Smart ass.”

Kitty grinned. “They actually brought their daughter to the school to other day. They're thinking about enrolling her.”

“Interesting,” Illyana said, drawing out each syllable.

“Sweet kid. Smart, too. Has all his powers, just in a little package. His wife also has his powers; not sure how that happened. But they seem like good parents. Both really thoughtful, and it's clear they love their daughter. They're still _very_ wary when it comes to secret identities, though. Did the tour in full costumes and masks.”

“Hmm,” Illyana mumbled, watching the Spider-Family approaching them.

“Hey, congratulations you two!” said Spider-Man, waving as he, his wife and their young daughter drew near. “Thanks for inviting us, we've had—WHOA!” He ended with a shout as he suddenly leaped about twenty feet backward, landing in a crouch.

Ahead of him, roughly fifteen feet away from Illyana and Kitty, Spinneret and Spiderling were standing, watching him curiously, expressions on their faces ranging from surprise to amusement.

“Oh...” Kitty said softly, her mouth open.

“...Shit,” Illyana finished, her own eyes wide.

“You _have_ to turn off that ward, Yana,” Kitty said quietly.

“I'm sorry about that,” Illyana said to the family, all of whom remained exactly where they were. “It's a protection ward that I forgot to turn off. For some reason it didn't like you, Spider-Man. Just give me a few seconds.” She looked at the tall redhead and the young red-haired girl. “It won't affect you two, I promise. You're already inside its radius, anyway.”

Illyana quickly grabbed Kitty's sigil with her left hand and her own with her right. She breathed a deactivation spell and relaxed when she felt the ward come down. “Alright, it's deactivated now, Spider-Man,” she said. “And I'm sorry about that. It wasn't meant for you.”

He sprung to his feet easily, bouncing once, then he took a few steps forward, his right hand held out in front of him. He eased closer, edging forward until he's standing with his family. “Cool, thanks,” he said.

“You're not supposed to say 'Cool' like that, Dad,” said the nine-year-old girl, looking up at her father and likely rolling her eyes under her mask. “You're old.”

“You see the respect I get,” he said, looking at Kitty and Illyana. “At least my wife loves me.” He put his arm around the athletic redhead, who returned the favor by wrapping both her arms around him.

“I do,” she said sweetly. “But you're still old.”

“Hey!”

“And so am I, as far as this little one goes.” She smiled lovingly down at the girl, patting her on the top of her mask.

“We're so glad you could come,” Kitty said, standing with Illyana. “I know we only met the other day, but you seem like a sweet family. I'm sorry Illyana wasn't able to meet with you that day.”

“I'm Illyana,” the Russian woman said, extending her hand first to the red-headed woman, then to Spider-Man, then finally to Spiderling. “As you probably figured out during the ceremony,” she added with a smile.

“Congratulations,” said the redhead. “And I'm Spinneret. That was a beautiful ceremony.”

“Have you been to a Jewish wedding before?” Kitty asked.

“We're from New York,” the redhead said with a smile.

Kitty nodded and laughed. “Good point.”

Illyana knelt down in front of Spiderling, smiling as she carefully balanced so as not to press her dress into the grass. “I hear you're thinking about enrolling here,” Illyana said.

“Yeah!” replied the girl, enthusiastically. “It's SO cool!”

“We haven't made a decision on that yet,” said Spinneret, glancing back at her husband. “There are pros and cons both for here and for her current school.”

Kitty smiled as she watched Illyana conjure an armadillo—an _armadillo?_ — made of something like clay or Play-Doh atop her hand, its little legs kicking as Illyana held it up by its belly before handing it to the girl, who quickly hugged it like she would a doll. The toy armadillo seemed to be content with that, because it visibly relaxed in her arms. “Well, even if she doesn't enroll here full-time, we'd always be happy to work with the three of you on training with her powers or letting her do some summer classes.” Kitty looked back Spider-Man and Spinneret. “We're happy to help any way we can.”

The armadillo seemed very relaxed as Spiderling continued to hold it. As Kitty watched, Illyana and the girl spoke quietly to each other, too soft for any of the adults to hear.

“Illyana handles all the school's magical security,” Kitty said proudly. “And she's... really good with kids.” Kitty felt her eyes sting again as she finished the sentence.

“Do you two have children of your own?” asked Spinneret, phrasing it gently rather than sounding prying.

Kitty shook her head. “Not now. One day we will, we hope.”

“And you'll raise them at the School?”

Kitty looked at the redheaded woman and nodded. “We live there. Most of the senior faculty does.” She turned to look at Spider-Man and his wife. “Some of the teachers at the Xavier School now taught Illyana and me, right here.” She pointed in the direction of the mansion. “We shared a room here during high school years.”

“Is this where you two started?” asked Spinneret, a knowing smile on her face.

“Yeah,” Kitty answered softly. “This is where we met, became friends, then roommates, then fell in love.”

“Not many people marry their high school sweethearts,” the older woman said. “But sometimes those relationships turn out to surprise you.” She turned to her husband, who put his arm around her and hugged her as she rested her hand on her chest and curled against him. “Isn't that right, tiger?” she asked him, a playful tone in her voice.

“Yep,” replied the man in the distinctive mask. “Life's funny sometimes. But on a serious note, congratulations to you both.” He shook Kitty's hand. “We'll let you know when we make a decision on the kid's school.”

“But I wanna go here!” said the girl, her voice rising slightly. “They can make armadillos!” she said, bending backward to lift the armadillo still wrapped in her hug upward.

“You can't take the armadillo home, Spiderling,” her mom said. “No pets inside.”

“But Mom!”

“I need to send him back to his family, anyway,” Illyana said gently. “Tell him you'll see him again soon.”

“See you soon, Squirmy,” the girl said, giving him a careful squeeze before the doughy creature vanished. She looked at Illyana, a grin across her face. “That was so cool!” she said excitedly.

Illyana smiled. “I bet you'll see him again before long,” she said pleasantly. “But for now, don't give your mom and dad a hard time, okay? If they don't want pets inside, then they've probably got good reasons for it. Parents usually do, even if you don't always understand why.”

The girl looked down at the grass, toeing her left foot into the ground lightly. “Yeah, I guess,” she mumbled.

“Good girl,” Illyana said, gently pressing her left hand to the side of the girl's head in a comforting way before standing back up. She turned to the girl's parents. “Thank you both for coming,” she said to them. “I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you the other day when you were here for the campus visit. I was dealing with an interdimensional incursion of angry spirits on a different plane of existence.”

Spider-Man and Spinneret looked silently at Illyana for several seconds before he said, “I can't tell if you're joking or being serious, and that bothers me.”

Illyana smiled. “Serious, actually.”

“You didn't take any students with you, did you?” asked Spinneret, concern in her voice.

Illyana shook her head as she said, “Oh, no, no. None of them here are advanced enough for anything like that. Their safety has to come first. I was doing it to help out Stephen.” Seeing both faces staring at her, Illyana added. “Dr. Strange. He was otherwise occupied.”

Now Spider-Man and his wife both nodded.

“Thank you all for coming,” Kitty said, moving to stand beside Illyana before hugging Spinneret, then Spider-Man, then kneeling down to hug Spiderling. “We appreciate you being here for our big day.”

“We appreciate the invitation,” the red-haired woman said, smiling. “We'll be in touch. There'll probably be paperwork that needs to be filled out for registration and admission if Spiderling enrolls here, so I'll give you a call when you get back from your honeymoon, if that works. We can talk some more about it then.”

Kitty beamed as Illyana hugged her with her left arm. “That sounds wonderful,” Kitty replied. “We should be back in a little over a week.”

“Great!” said Spinneret. “I'll call before stopping by.”

“Okay. Have a good day, and thank you again for coming!” said Kitty as the trio waved and walked away.

“Nice job, Headmaster,” Illyana said quietly. “I think you just enrolled another student.”

“I hope so,” Kitty said quietly. “They seem really sweet. All of them.”

Illyana nodded. “I agree.”

—O—

The well-wishers had dwindled at this point, as it felt like every hero they had ever met had stopped to speak to them. Kitty and Illyana had taken the opportunity to eat a bit more real food, then have some more of their wedding cake (without Jonathan eating it this time) in between guests. They sat and watched the spirited dancing of their friends and guests on the large dance stage, laughing and soaking up the sight of watching people whom they cared about, people who also cared for them, having a good time and enjoying themselves.

Finally a different trio approached them. Angela, whom Kitty knew from the Guardians of the Galaxy, Sera, who was friends with Illyana, and a young dark-haired woman in green who seemed to trail behind the other two, her face downcast as she walked a few steps.

“Angela!” said Kitty, rising from her seat to hug the tall, powerful angel.

Angela smiled and gathered Kitty in her arms. “All our blessings on your Joining Day,” she said softly as her white and gold ribbons playfully wrapped themselves around Kitty as well. “We are honored to be witnesses to such a happy event.”

“Hello, Sera,” Illyana said with a warm smile, wrapping the curvy brunette in a hug that was warmly reciprocated.

“We're so happy for you both,” Sera said, “Congratulations.”

“Katya, this is Sera, a good friend of mine who possesses both an intellect and a tongue sharper than my Soulsword,” Illyana said happily.

Sera grinned as she opened her arms for Kitty, giving her a hug. “Guilty as charged, my dear, I must say,” she said pleasantly. “Illyana is one of the most wonderful people I've ever known,” she said softly to Kitty. “I have long wished for her to find someone who could truly love and accept all of her... and I think she's found it in you.”

“Thank you,” Kitty said, blinking back tears.

Angela stepped forward and offered her forearm for Illyana to clasp, a gesture which the blonde returned without hesitation. “Stories of your fierceness and bravery are well-known through the galaxy,” said the angel, looking down at Illyana. “But I have heard many stories of your heart as well. Best wishes on your union, brave warrior. Know that we will answer your call should you ever have need of us. Or if you just wish for company in visiting the Grimaldi's of Brooklyn. Their pizzas are the finest in the Ten Worlds.”

“Thank you,” Illyana replied with a smile. “I'm honored to finally meet the woman who won Sera's heart. She's been a dear friend for some time. And thank you for looking out for Kitty while she was away from Earth.”

“It was my honor to do so,” replied Angela. “Although she has proven that she's quite capable of caring for herself, it warms my heart to know that she now has company in caring for her.”

Illyana turned to look at the third member of their party. “Who's thi—” She stopped short when she saw the young woman, maybe still in her teens, crying as she looked at Illyana with a forlorn look that nearly broke Illyana's heart. She had never met the girl, she was sure, but there was a flicker somewhere deep in her being that felt achingly familiar.

“Illyana, Kitty,” Sera said, stepping aside to stand next to Angela. “This is our daughter Leah, who wanted to be here today out of love and respect for one she's lost.”

Kitty and Illyana both fell silent, looking sympathetically at the raven-haired girl who was barely holding herself together, her chest shaking from fighting back sobs.

“Leah was a refugee from another reality,” Sera said softly. “And in her reality, she and her Illyana fell in love and built a kingdom together, which they ruled for years.”

“Oh, God,” Kitty breathed, feeling her heart twinge as she realized where this was going. “She...”

“Their world was destroyed,” Sera said, fighting the sting of tears herself. “And her love, _her_ Illyana, was lost in the cataclysm.”

Without another moment slipping past, Kitty rushed forward and threw her arms around Leah, hugging her tightly. “I'm so, so sorry,” Kitty whispered to her, only tightening her grip around Leah's torso when the girl broke down completely, sobbing uncontrollably.

“I know what it's like to lose her, too,” Kitty said tenderly, fighting back tears herself as she let the girl clench her hands in her dress and cry on her shoulder. “I'm so terribly sorry for what you've had to go through.”

Leah held on tightly, part of her resenting this woman who got to have Illyana, who could kiss her and hold her and make love to her and cry with her, while another part of her was grateful to meet another who could understand what it was like to lose someone so unique and special as her Illyana had been. She let those sides of herself war with each other while she clung to Kitty like a drowning child.

And then she smelled Illyana, the scent that she was never able to adequately describe despite years of intimate experience, as she felt another set of arms wrap around her and Kitty both, the warmth and velvety but steely strength in those limbs as familiar to her as anything she had ever known. She moved her hand to try and grasp some part of this Illyana, to draw some warmth and comfort from her as she clutched tightly to this woman who was and wasn't the woman she loved.

They stood there several minutes, Illyana unsure what to do other than quietly offer support but willing to do just that, Kitty with her own heart aching as she remembered losing her Illyana not once but twice, and Leah clinging not just to this living reminder of all she had lost but also the woman who had apparently taken Leah's place in Illyana's heart in this reality.

As bizarre as the situation was, Leah drew comfort from this unusual embrace. Kitty had shown no resentment or jealousy like Leah had struggled with over the last few months after hearing of the upcoming nuptials; instead, this Kitty had been the first person outside of her mothers to embrace her and try to comfort her regarding her loss. And this Illyana, despite it not being the woman she had loved and lost, was trying to offer what comfort she could. And as well as Leah knew her Illyana, making such an attempt was not something done lightly by the troubled sorceress.

And so for several minutes, Leah kept her eyes tightly closed but her face lifted enough to press into this Illyana's hair, breathing in all she could of her lost love as it was so generously offered by this couple. After years of missing her dear Illyana, this was a taste of Valhalla to Leah, and she wasn't sure she could ever properly repay it.

Finally Leah gently pulled back, signaling for Kitty and Illyana to release her from their joint embrace. Leah looked fondly in Illyana's blue eyes, so familiar that it made her very soul ache. “You look so much like her,” she said quietly, “but I know you're not her. Thank you for giving me one more glimpse, one more moment, when I could feel myself in her arms once more.”

Illyana started to reply, but no words would come out, and Leah was already turning her head to Kitty anyway. “Thank you for sharing your heart with me instead of feeling threatened or challenged,” Leah said quietly. “I would never try to come between the two of you.”

Wiping her own tears away, Kitty offered Leah a smile. “Maybe your Illyana is still out there somewhere, searching for you. Stranger things have happened.”

The sadness that infused the weak smile Leah offered in reply was clear. “Perhaps,” she said, sighing tiredly. “It's a bitter choice to make. To keep looking for her, to not give up hope of being with her again, or to let my lost love die forever and try to move forward.”

A tearing sound beneath them drew their attention to the sizable canine biting several holes in Leah's long dress. Seeing that he had their attention, the dog (or maybe wolf) looked up and opened his mouth, allowing smoke and a few glowing embers to spill out as he rumbled, _“More tears have been shed for love than for war.”_

“Thori!” Leah said scoldingly. “Rude. And you tore my dress.”

The creature looked up at his mistress, tilting his head slightly. _“Truth is often most bitter when it is least wanted,”_ he said in the same grumbling voice.

“That's... an interesting dog you have,” Kitty said, considering trying to pet the creature but deciding against it.

“Thori is part Hel-hound, part magical wolf,” Leah said, kneeling to pet him for a few seconds until the creature suddenly snapped at her fingers, getting a light open-handed pop on the head for doing so. “No biting those who love you,” Leah said firmly.

“ _But they are the most delicious to bite,”_ replied the dog.

Leah fixed Thori with a glare, causing the creature to lower his head slightly and settle at her feet, smoke lightly curling upward from the sides of his mouth. “Behave,” she said firmly, then she stood again.

She saw Illyana and Kitty whispering to each other, now with Kitty looking at Illyana and nodding in agreement with something before they turned to look at Leah again.

“Leah,” spoke Illyana, and just hearing her name spill from those lips, in that voice, make Leah's jaw tremble. A flash of white light in Illyana's open palm gave way to what looked like a small charm or talisman now in her hand, connected to a thin silver chain.

“This is a locating talisman,” Illyana said, lifting the object by the chain and letting it dangle in front of them. “I made one for Kitty and this one for myself, in case something ever happened to one of us. With just a little adjustment, you should be able to attune this one to your Illyana.” She extended her hand holding the locating talisman to Leah; Illyana's blue eyes glistened with tears, but she had a hopeful smile on her face. “I truly hope you can find her, because I'm sure she's missing you just as much as you're missing her.”

Leah simply stared into Illyana's eyes in wonder as Illyana placed the small silver talisman in the girl's hand, lowering the chain and slowly closing Leah's fingers around the charm. “I...” she began, only to stop. “Wh— I, um... I-I—“

“Breathe,” Kitty said gently, resting her own hand atop Leah's.

The jet-haired girl closed her eyes, causing the tears gathering in them to trickle forth, spilling down her cheeks. After several seconds she opened them again. “Thank you,” she managed to get out, looking at Illyana, then at Kitty, then at Illyana again. “You've given me hope I did not have when I awoke this morning. That is something I can never repay.”

Kitty smiled. “Just let us know when you find her. Maybe we can all have dinner one night.”

“I swear it,” Leah said, a tiny smile breaking across her lips. She threw her arms around Kitty, hugging her tightly for several seconds. Smiling more broadly, she moved from Kitty to Illyana, closing her eyes as she moved in to hug the Russian so as not to be tempted to kiss her out of pure reflex. She held the woman tightly for a few seconds before forcing herself to let her go.

“Thank you both, with all my heart,” Leah said softly. “Best wishes on your marriage, and may your years together be many and marvelous.”

“Thank you,” Kitty and Illyana both replied together, each putting an arm around the other.

“Thank you for trying to help our daughter,” Angela said, smiling. “There is no surer way to the heart of a parent than through her child.”

Sera stepped forward, taking one of Kitty's and one of Illyana's hands in her own. “My lovely wife's eloquence speaks truth,” she said pleasantly. “As you have shown kindness to our daughter, may we one day do the same for yours.” Sera's smile grew. “Come over for dinner when you get back from your honeymoon, maybe? I make a lovely grilled chicken and asparagus with sun-dried tomatoes and Tabasco sauce.”

“Maybe go a bit easy on the Tabasco, and it's a deal,” replied Kitty. She grinned and looked at Illyana. “I get all the hotness I can handle with her.”

Illyana rolled her eyes and laughed, followed by Sera, Angela and Leah. Around them the reception and party continued for hours into the night, illuminated by the combined light show of Dazzler and Jubilee, as everyone celebrated a wedding that had been many years in the making. When the two brides quietly slipped away in the glow of a stepping disc to begin their honeymoon, the celebration continued without them, exactly as they had wanted.

They had each other. They had their future together.

That was more than enough for them.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a bit torn as to whether continue this with one more chapter, but after consideration, I think this is a perfect place to stop this particular story. I had wanted to give a glimpse into the future for Kitty and Illyana, but I might do that as a separate stand-alone story later on, as this one feels complete now.
> 
> Thank you for reading this celebration of Illyana and Kitty. They're going to have many years of happiness together, I promise.
> 
> For those of you interested in the honeymoon destination, Kitty and Illyana decided upon the Resort Hotel and Spa in Parnu, Estonia. Peace, quiet, pampering and privacy were what they wanted. They also made an appearance at a Pride parade in Talinn while they were there, since they did deliberately get married during Pride Month.
> 
> Finally, for those of you unfamiliar with Angela, Sera and Leah, a quick explanation. (Which by no means makes up for the fact that you need to read their story, much of it summed up in the amazing but short series "Angela, Queen of Hel." There is a trade, and it's affordable. Read it, because it's fantastic.) Leah, or this Leah at least, is a remnant from a lost universe. She was created from Hel's severed hand to be the goddess's handmaiden, but she had other plans. When Doctor Doom seized the power of godhood and created Doomworld, Leah wound up there, where she fell in love with the Magik of another realm. Together the two of them defied Doom and the order of Doomworld, leaving the safety that existed behind the Wall and creating their own kingdom of monsters, demons and outcasts which they happily ruled together for years. When Doomworld was destroyed and reality restored, Leah found herself in a new universe without the Magik that she loved. In this new reality, Leah found Sera and Angela, helping Angela overthrow Hela herself and rescue Sera from imprisonment. Once Angela and Sera were reunited and free, they adopted Leah and raised her as their daughter for seven years, a time during which they were happy and their house was full of love, an all-too-rare occurrence in comics nowadays. At the end of that time, Leah thanked her mothers for teaching her what love and family was truly about, then she set out on her own with Thori, her Hel-hound who has a tendency to speak in grim, disturbing truths, to find her own future.
> 
> For this story, Leah has come back to New York to see her mothers and attend the wedding of this reality's Illyana, whom she has never known or met, out of respect for her lost love. As such, it's a most bittersweet experience. Her mothers are aware of how painful this is for Leah, but they're proud of her for listening to her heart and for honoring, not forgetting, the woman she loved.
> 
> Sera also attends the monthly semi-dark sorceresses meetings with Illyana and Nico. She usually brings homemade cookies.
> 
> (Did you think I was kidding about those meetings?)


End file.
